ST. THOMAS — Federal Bureau of Investigation detectives along with V.I.P.D. officers descended on the entrance of the Cyril E. King Airport this morning, after it was discovered that the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and nine other flags that normally hang high on a welcome monument at the beginning of the road heading to the airport, were replaced with black flags bearing the name “Allah” on them.
In a release issued at 10:28 this morning, the Virgin Islands Port Authority said it had launched an investigation into the removal of the flags. The authority said its law enforcement officers reported that upon arrival to the airport early this morning, they noticed that all the flags were removed from the 11 poles at the monument and replaced with black flags. The flags have since been removed.
The Port Authority said it has reported the incident to the F.B.I., the Transportation Security Administration (T.S.A.) and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
“The matter is still under investigation. Security at the airport has been heightened. The Cyril E. King Airport will remain open and functioning as normal, and all flights will arrive and depart as scheduled,” the Port Authority release said.
Although rumors were circulating that at least one of the flags included the terrorist group ISIS’s name, Monifa Brathwaite, V.I.P.A. public information officer, said, “None of the flags have ISIS on it. They were all identical flags as shown in the photos.”
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