2 dead, many hurt in LA shooting

Frank said ‘‘one suspect apparently opened fire on another individual and then opened fire on several other persons there at the terminal.’’

An El-Al security guard ‘‘returned fire, killing the suspect,’’ the police lieutenant said.

‘‘We have no reason to believe’’ there was an accomplice, he added, although US media reported there was the possibility of another suspect. All airport operations were suspended, MSNBC reported.

Television broadcast footage showed that the airport’s Bradley International Terminal was being evacuated. Airplanes were grounded on runways, but it was unknown whether they would be turned back and their passengers let off the airplanes. ‘‘We are trying to bring everything under control, trying to locate witnesses,’’ Franks said.

The terminal was ringed with emergency vehicles, including firetrucks and ambulances, television footage showed, as people teemed out of the terminal where airlines including Korean Airlines and Air France send out international flights.

Thad Weimlein, a passenger in the terminal preparing to take a flight today, told CNN that after the ‘‘initial flurry of fire’’ there was ‘‘silence.’’ Then ‘‘firing started again’’ as police ‘‘pulled out their guns’’ and called for other travelers to ‘‘stay undercover’’. ‘‘Today was supposed to be a pretty secure day,’’ he told the news channel.

El-Al is known for its top-notch airline security and is one of the only airlines to have had its own security personnel working at airports around the world even before the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.