DHAKA: Two Paris-bound Air France passenger jets, flying over the United States and Canada, were diverted because of unspecified threats.

Flight 065 from Los Angeles and Flight 055 from Washington were ‘subject to anonymous threats received after their respective takeoff’, the airline said in a statement, reports Al Jazeera.

One of the jets carried out an emergency landing in Salt Lake City after it took off from Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The other plane, Air France 055, diverted and landed safely in Halifax, Canada, with 298 passengers and crew on board.

The FBI and local police were on the scene in Salt Lake City, the airport said. The US Federal Aviation Administration said all passengers were safe.

The FBI has said it found no evidence ‘which would lend credibility’ to the threats against Flight 065, while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Halifax said on its Twitter feed that police dogs were searching Flight 055 for the possibility of explosives.

Air France said authorities were also tracking the ‘source of the telephone call’. It was unclear if the same person had called in both threats.

Friday night’s attacks in Paris - claimed by Islamic State (IS) of Iraq and Syria - have raised security concerns around the world.

BDST: 1511 HRS, Nov 18, 2015
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