SEATAC, Wash. — A "security breach" at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on Sunday night clogged TSA lines for travelers.
Other people leaving the airport also reported that they were stuck in certain terminals, not allowed to leave some secure areas and unable to board the train between concourses for a period of time.
In a statement provided to KING 5 on Monday, a TSA spokesperson said that a carry-on bag belonging to a ticketed passenger was not properly diverted for a bag search due to an equipment malfunction at around 7:55 p.m. on Sunday night.
"Because the bag should have been searched prior to it entering the sterile area of the airport, officers with the Port of Seattle Police Department began looking for the traveler and the bag in the gate area of the terminal," the statement read.
Security screening was stopped at the checkpoint during that time.
Using CCTV footage, Port of Seattle police were able to locate the passenger and the bag, and they were escorted back to a checkpoint so they could be rescreened. All security screenings resumed at around 8:20 p.m.
The airport asked travelers to prepare for long lines while backups at TSA checkpoints cleared.
TSA did not explain what exactly the equipment malfunction was or why the bag should have been diverted to be searched.
TSA is currently looking into why the bag was not properly diverted, according to the spokesperson.