London's Gatwick Airport re-opens South Terminal after a suspicious package triggers an alert

LONDON -- London’s Gatwick Airport said it is reopening its south terminal after police resolved a security alert triggered when a suspicious item was found in a passenger’s luggage.

The terminal was closed for more than six hours after police were called to investigate a “suspected prohibited item” at about 8:20 a.m. local time. The train station serving the airport was also closed as a precaution.

“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” the airport said in a statement posted on social media just before 3 p.m (1500 GMT). “The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”

Gatwick said some flights were canceled and others were delayed by the incident. Passengers should contact their airline for any updates on flights, the airport said.