Bomb scare triggers search of cargo planes in U.S.

Cargo planes in the U.S. were searched for suspicious items on Friday after reports of a suspected bomb on a plane in the U.K. set off a security scare about packages from Yemen. At least two American airports were put on high alert.

The suspicious package, which contained a “manipulated” toner cartridge, tested negative for explosive material, sources said, but it led to heightened inspection of cargo flights arriving in Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

The package had white powder on it as well as wires and a circuit board. Someone shipped it from Sanaa, Yemen, to Chicago, CNN reported.

Planes at the Philadelphia International Airport and the Newark Liberty Airport were towed away for being checked after the police found a suspicious package on a U.S. cargo plane at a regional British airport, officials said.

The Transportation Security Administration is aware of and monitoring reports of potentially suspicious items onboard cargo flights that landed safely at Newark Liberty and Philadelphia International airports, a statement said.

Investigators were looking for a “possible nexus to terrorism,” a U.S. official was quoted as saying by CNN.

Police were also investigating a suspicious package at the distribution center of an airport in East Midlands in the U.K., an airport spokesman said.