Posted at 2:26 p.m., Sunday, February 29, 2004
Man drives SUV into Kahului Airport ticket lobby
Advertiser Staff
A man drove his SUV into the ticket lobby of Kahului Airport on Maui on Sunday morning and set it on fire, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the FBI said it does not believe the incident is connected to terrorism.The man was taken into custody.
It happened at about 8 a.m. Details are sketchy but officials with Civil Defense, the Transportation Security Administration, the state Department of Transportation and Kahului Airport confirmed that a vehicle entered the terminal Sunday and its driver then set it on fire.
It was not clear whether the vehicle crashed at any point or how it entered the airport. There was no estimate of the damage.
The fire was put out but smoke caused problems with security screening equipment, said Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the state tranportation department.
The airport was evacuated, and outgoing flights were halted. It was not known when they would resume, but incoming flights continued to land Sunday morning. Hundreds of people were delayed. Many of them were put up in hotels and a nearby gymnasium, until regular flights resumed.
