A300 BOMB THREAT AT LHR AT GATE. PAX EXITED WITH CARRY- ONS TO SECURED LOUNGE. PAX WERE RE-SCREENED AND BOARDED A DIFFERENT ACFT WITH NO CARGO.

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APPROX 15-17 MINS PRIOR TO DEP CAPT LEFT THE ACFT AND RETURNED SEVERAL MINS LATER TO THE COCKPIT FOLLOWED BY 2 SECURITY AGENTS AND A UNIFORMED LONDON POLICE OFFICIAL. I WAS ASKED TO COME TO THE COCKPIT APPROX 10 MINS LATER AND INFORMED THERE HAD BEEN A POSITIVE BOMB THREAT AGAINST OUR FLT MADE TO LONDON POLICE DEPT. CALLER STATED 'ACR FLT TO JFK LEAVING BTWN XA30 AND XA35 WILL HAVE A SURPRISE TODAY.' CAPT ADVISED ME WE WOULD BE DEPLANING ALL PAX INTO SECURED LOUNGE AREA. I LEFT COCKPIT AND ADVISED ALL OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS IN GALLEY AREAS OF THE SIT WHILE CAPT MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX STATING A MECHANICAL PROB AND REQUESTING THEM TO DEPLANE WITH THEIR BELONGINGS TO THE DEP LOUNGE. I POSITIONED MYSELF AT 2R WHERE PAX WERE DEPLANING. DEPLANING WAS QUICK AND ORDERLY. AFTER ALL PAX WERE DEPLANED CAPT ASKED ME TO HAVE ALL CABIN CREW ASSEMBLED IN FIRST CLASS. CAPT PERFORMED A DETAILED BRIEFING TO THE REST OF THE CREW AND INFORMED US THAT THE ACFT WOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE GATE AREA AND TAKEN OUT TO A SECURED AREA WHERE A COMPLETE SEARCH OF THE ACFT WOULD BE MADE USING BOMB SEARCH DOGS. WE WERE TOLD NO CARGO WOULD BE TAKEN AND ALL PAX AND THEIR CARRY-ON ITEMS WOULD BE RE-SEARCHED USING X-RAY EQUIP AND SCREENING THROUGH QUESTIONING. FLC AND CABIN CREW WERE KEPT SEPARATELY FROM PAX WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MYSELF AND THE CAPT. I STAYED IN THE SECURED LOUNGE AREA WITH SECURITY PERSONNEL AND PAX. CAPT MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE LOUNGE AREA APPROX 30 MINS LATER TO ADVISE PAX ABOUT THE BOMB THREAT AND THAT WE WOULD BE USING ANOTHER ACFT AND NO CARGO WOULD BE TAKEN. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS CALM AND PAX APPEARED TO BE SATISFIED THAT EVERY PRECAUTION HAD BEEN TAKEN TO MAINTAIN THEIR SAFETY. CAPT AND MYSELF ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS POSED TO US CONCERNING THE FLT ITSELF. ANY SECURITY QUESTIONS; I REFERRED TO PAX TO THE SECURITY PERSONNEL IN THE LOUNGE AREA. 20 PAX AT A TIME WERE TAKEN FROM THE LOUNGE AREA FOR SECURITY CHKS. THE ONLY CONCERN MY CABIN CREW MADE AWARE TO ME WAS THE FACT THAT THEY FELT UNCOMFORTABLE HAVING THE CAPT BRIEFING TO US GIVEN ONBOARD. IT WAS STATED BY ALL THAT GIVEN THE BOMB THREAT; THE CREW SHOULD ALSO LEAVE THE ACFT; AFTER PAX DEPLANING; BEFORE THE BRIEFING.