Based on what happened at the end of the flight and the presence of a number of air marshals on the flight, they were under surveillence.
Wonder how many F-16s were airborne or sitting on 5 minute strip alert along the flight path?
Yes, it is odd that there were several Air Marshall on board but what is even stranger is that a flight attendant would tell a passenger that Air Marshals were on board.
Somehow, I believe that it is against the law for a crew member to tell a passenger that there are Air Marshals on a flight.
If her statement about the flight attendant outing the Air Marshall is true the flight attendant should be fired.
It is also odd that she was seated in either 17A, 17B or 17C which is on the left side of the aircraft and was able to see Downtown Los Angeles which would be on the right side of the plane on approach to LAX.
Did she crawl over to the other side of the aircraft on the Arab Man's lap to take a peek at Downtown LA?
With all of this said, I do not doubt her story but only point out some inconsistencies. After all, she is a writer of fiction and perhaps embellished the story a little bit.