(The Associated Press circulated the following story on May 15.)
DENVER — A passenger on a Chicago-bound Amtrak train who was detained in Colorado after other passengers became suspicious was released Monday after the FBI determined he was not a threat.
The man, whose name was not released, was taken off the eastbound California Zephyr about 20 miles west of Denver late Sunday after other passengers said they heard him talking about a bomb and a knife, authorities said.
He was released after questioning, FBI agent Rene VonderHaar said.
About 220 passengers were evacuated from the train and taken by bus to Union Station in Denver, the train’s next scheduled stop. They got back on the train there and continued eastward about 3 hours after the original stop, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
The man had a knife in his luggage, authorities said, but it wasn’t clear whether he had access to it.
Authorities said a bomb-sniffing dog signaled when it checked the man’s luggage, but nothing suspicious was found.