Airport shut down after suitcase full of flour and cinnamon found

A suitcase which caused German police to shut down Düsseldorf airport in fear it was a bomb contained nine kilos of flour and cinnamon. Over 10,000 passengers were affected and 140 flights cancelled.

The alarm was raised after authorities noticed a suitcase in the departure lounge with an image of Big Ben and a London bus without an owner. Initially concerned it could be a bomb, police shut down the airport until 10.30pm.



They quickly realized it was not explosives, and word spread that the mystery case contained a large amount of drugs. But the North Rhine-Westphalia state office of criminal investigation found the suitcase contained three bags of flour, cornflour and cinnamon, weighing nine kilos.

Investigators also found an iPhone charging cable and a towel alongside the flour. It remains unclear why the owner was carrying so much flour and little else. “Carrying food is not forbidden,” a Düsseldorf state security expert said.