A computer system that checks airline passengers against terror watch lists was disrupted briefly Wednesday evening, causing customs line delays at Kennedy Airport and other cities across the U.S., according to government officials.
The Customs and Border Patrol computer glitch affected air ports of entry in the U.S. and is not believed to be malicious, according to a Homeland Security official. However, it caused delays in security screening for multiple airlines across the U.S., with social media reports of long lines at some terminals at JFK.
The computer system was back up after about 90 minutes, and normal operations have resumed, according to a Customs and Border spokesman.
A federal official said international travelers were still processed during the glitch, but manually. Passengers at the airport told NBC 4 New York they had to fill out paperwork by hand.
VIDEO: Busy terminal at JFK airport after computer glitch causes delays at customs. @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/fFyYg86e7L
— Ray Villeda (@RayVilleda) October 15, 2015Similar problems were reported at airports in Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte and Baltimore.
It's not clear what caused the computer problem.
-- Jonathan Dienst and Ray Villeda contributed to this report
