Suspicious item halts flights at Missouri airport

Air traffic has been stopped at a southwestern Missouri airport after security officials found something suspicious in a suitcase.

FBI spokesman Bob Stewart says it’s very early in the investigation, but he says the owner of the suspicious object has been identified. He didn’t elaborate.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that authorities on the scene include police and a fire department bomb squad.

Flights in and out of the Springfield-Branson National Airport were put on hold at about 9:30 a.m. The airport has nonstop flights to 10 U.S. cities and serves 750,000 passengers each year.

Calls to the Transportation Security Administration, local police and airport officials weren’t immediately returned.