German police launch Air Berlin bomb threat inquiry

German authorities confirmed on Monday that an investigation has been launched to find the perpetrator of a bomb threat against an Air Berlin passenger jet.

The Airbus A320, carrying 170 passengers and eight crew members, was en route from Munich to Hamburg on Sunday evening when police in Munich received a bomb threat.

According to a police spokeswoman, authorities in Munich received an e-mail, signed in the name of "Islamic Caliphate Europe."

"The threatened attack was deemed genuine. It can be assumed that the threat was credible," said a spokesman for Hamburg police early on Monday morning.

Evacuation and searches

After receiving the threat, flight AB6306 landed safely in Hamburg at 6:34 p.m. local time (1634 UTC) on Sunday evening. The aircraft was parked in a special location, far from other planes and the airport gates, spokesman for German air traffic control, Axel Raab said. Flights over the northern German city were also briefly suspended.

According to Air Berlin, federal police examined hand luggage, luggage and passengers for explosives, while sniffer dogs searched the aircraft. A bomb was not discovered.

"We took the tip-off very seriously," said Air Berlin spokeswoman Theresa Krohn.

Some passengers shared the events as they happened on Twitter. Alongside a photograph of passengers stood on the runway, Twitter user Sarah Köhler wrote: "Police operation at Hamburg airport. 'Please leave the aircraft as quickly as possible'."

Another user tweeted: "My thanks to emergency services for the calmness and respect we were treated with during this tense situation."