Woman Held in Bomb Threat on British Oil Rig

Officials evacuate 539 workers; incident not terrorist-related
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2008 10:58 AM CST
Woman Held in Bomb Threat on British Oil Rig
This undated file photo provided by Prosafe, shows their Safe Scandinavia rig in an unknown location. Hundreds of workers were being evacuated from an oil rig in the North Sea following an apparent bomb scare Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. A fleet of 14 military and coast guard helicopters was evacuating 539...   (Associated Press)

British authorities have detained a 23-year-old woman in connection with a bomb threat that caused an evacuation of hundreds of oil workers from a North Sea oil rig, the BBC says. The woman had been working aboard the platform, which is located about 130 miles northeast off the coast of Scotland, and officials don’t believe the incident is terrorist-related.

About 14 helicopters and a reconnaissance aircraft were dispatched to transfer the 539 workers to other platforms. “I think everybody is safe,” a spokesman with Britain’s Ministry of Defense told Reuters. The Royal Air Force conceded that “there’s a security alert” but emphasized the evacuation was “a major response to a potential situation, rather than a known situation.” (More United Kingdom stories.)

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