"Flight 1500 now declaring an emergency at this time. We have a written threat aboard the aircraft," the pilot radioed. "Our flight attendant found a note indicating there was a bomb onboard towards the rear of the aircraft."
DIA spokeswoman Julie Smith said the Delta flight had a "possible security threat," but she did not confirm the bomb threat.
"They found the corner of one of the (magazine) pages was ripped out and that was the note that was written on, and said, 'There is a bomb' or something like that," passenger Aaron Baratz told 7NEWS reporter Marshall Zelinger.
"The FBI came on board the plane and asked, of course, did anybody leave the note. They said there was a piece of paper in the back with the word bomb written on it," said passenger Joe Vance.
Flight 1500 landed safely at 4:39 MT and the pilot was directed to taxi the plane to a remote location of DIA where it was met by law enforcement and fire crews. A K9 team searched the plane, passengers and bags, but no bomb was turned up. After the plane landed, passenger Tone Sevy tweeted that passengers could not take anything off the plane or from overhead bins.
"They came on the announcement and they said, 'There's been a threat to the aircraft, everybody needs to turn your phones back off and this is not a request, it's a demand,'" said Baratz.
On Twitter, Sevy added the Delta pilots were "low key [and] put us down fast a couple miles" from the airport.
"K9 on plane, buses, checking us & personal bags. Sprayed with water before we deplaned," Sevy tweeted. "@Delta And TSA on it. Crazy situation".
Eventually, the 151 passengers and four crew members were allowed to return to the parked plane for their belongings. But Sevy tweeted at 7:30 p.m. that passengers were still being held in buses on the tarmac, waiting to be questioned by the FBI nearly three hours after the plane landed. At about 8:40 p.m., the passengers were released at the terminal.
FBI spokesman Dave Joly issued this statement: "The FBI Denver Division and multiple other agencies responded to a security concern on Delta Flight 1500 this evening at Denver International Airport. Passengers, crew members, and the aircraft were rescreened and interviews were conducted. All of the Delta Flight 1500 passengers were allowed to reclaim their luggage and continue with their travel plans by 10:00 p.m. local time, on Friday, April 18, 2014."
"We currently do not believe a credible threat existed to the flight. Out of an abundance of caution security protocols were implemented and safety measures were closely followed," Joly added.
According to Baratz, the note was found in the back of the plane, but was torn off a page from a magazine in a row around 25 or 27. He said that row included an elderly couple and another passenger who never got up to go to the back of the plane.
"We don't think Delta cleaned the plane before we got back on, which happens all the time, but that's a pretty big thing to miss," said Baratz.
After the passengers were released, passenger Tone Sevy tweeted: "Appreciate FBI, TSA, Delta, just a process no one ever wants to deal with."
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