[stlnative]

Travelers Questioned After Dulles Landing


20 minutes ago - AP



WASHINGTON - FBI (news - web sites) and Homeland Security Department officials boarded a British Airways jet shortly after it landed at Washington Dulles International Airport Wednesday night and detained 247 passengers for about three hours, officials said.



Homeland Security spokeswoman Rachel Sunbarger said intelligence led the agencies to detain the flight, but an FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident did not involve terrorism.


Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Jennifer Marty said passengers aboard Flight 223 from London's Heathrow Airport to Dulles were questioned aboard the plane, which landed at 7:06 p.m. EST. Officials began allowing passengers off the plane around 10:30 p.m.


Sunbarger said the baggage on board the flight underwent additional screening.


The plane was kept several hundred feet from the terminal just as a precaution until questioning was finished, another official said on condition of anonymity.


Earlier this week, a U.S.-bound flight from Mexico reversed course in midair because of concerns about improper screening of passengers.


A Homeland Security official, asking not to be identified, said Mexican authorities made the decision to turn the plane around after the United States informed them it did not feel the airline had taken adequate security measures.


The New York Times reported Wednesday that the United States had reached an agreement with a French delegation to impose stricter security requirements on flights thought to be suspicious. The French agreed to turn over passenger lists for any at-risk flight at least one hour before takeoff, rather than waiting until the flight is in the air, as is now done, the Times reported.


Several Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled Dec. 24 because of terrorism concerns.

[jennyp]

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Jennifer Marty said passengers aboard Flight 223 from London's Heathrow Airport to Dulles were questioned aboard the plane, which landed at 7:06 p.m. EST. Officials began allowing passengers off the plane around 10:30 p.m.

Gawd, even if it took them 3 1/2 hours to finish their investigation, you'd think they'd let the first interviewees off, then the next batch, etc., and not keep everybody on the plane for 3 1/2 hours!