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Police Search Arriving Philippine Airlines Flight At SFO

SAN FRANCISCO INT'L AIRPORT (CBS) -- A telephoned threat that prompted authorities at San Francisco International Airport to search a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila turned out to be a hoax, according to a spokesman.

Passengers had to de-plane Tuesday night while the Boeing 747 was on the tarmac after a threat was made against the airline earlier in the day.

"We received a non-specific threat for Philippine Flight 104 from Manila, so we searched the aircraft," said SFO Duty Manager Chris Davison.

SFO police said the threatening phone call came into Philippine Airlines at 2:30 in the afternoon, well after the plane was already on its way to San Francisco.

The plane with 330 passengers landed on time, at 7:30 p.m., but was quickly surrounded by fire trucks and police vehicles. After about an hour, passengers were shuttled to the airport and customs.

The plane was and its cargo were then searched by bomb sniffing dogs at a secure location but no explosives were found.

There is no word on who called in the hoax.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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