Man claiming to carry bomb arrested at LA airport

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday after claiming to have a bomb in his backpack, officials said.

Traffic was snarled at the west end of the busy airport as the man was taken into custody, but TV reports said there was no immediate indication of an explosive.

"A male individual on the public side of the international terminal of Los Angeles International Airport claimed to have explosive materials in his backpack," the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration said in a statement.

"Law enforcement officials responded and placed the individual into custody," the TSA said. "A search of the area found an unattended bag located near a ticket counter in the international terminal and out of an abundance of caution a perimeter was established and the LAPD bomb squad is on the scene."

An airport spokesman said flights had not been affected by the incident.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)