AP sources: Man claims explosives, flight diverted

BANGOR, Maine — An American citizen on a flight from Paris to Atlanta claimed to have a fake passport and said he had explosives in his luggage, forcing federal air marshals to intervene and the plane to land in Maine, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, believe the man's passport was authentic.

There were 235 passengers and 13 crew aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 273, which landed safely just after at 3:30 p.m. at Bangor International Airport, Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said.

Federal officials met the aircraft at the airport. The Transportation Security Administration said the passenger was being interviewed by law enforcement.

After the man was apprehended, flight attendants moved passengers forward to clear out space in the rear of the plane, a passenger told CNN.

"We were told there was some danger and some threats made, but beyond that we weren't told anything else," said the passenger, Adithya Sastry. Sastry said a passenger sitting next to him told him that the "young man" who was apprehended was carrying a backpack.

Ready to add this one to the list ... if needed:

Islamic Attacks in the US (partially or wholly successful, since 1993)

1993 Shootings at CIA Headquarters
1993 World Trade Center bombing
1993 New York City landmark bomb plot
1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting
2000 New York terror attack
2000 Millennium Attack Plots
2001 September 11 attacks
2002 Los Angeles Airport shooting
2002 Buffalo Six
2004 US & UK Financial Buildings plot
2005 Los Angeles bomb plot
2006 Toledo terror plot
2006 Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar SUV attack
2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
2007 Salt Lake City Trolley Square shooting
2007 Fort Dix attack plot
2009 New York bomb plot
2009 Arkansas recruiting office shooting
2009 Fort Hood Shooting
2009 Detroit “Underwear Bomber” on Northwest Flight 253
Failed Islamic Attacks in the US (since 2000)
2000 January 1: 2000 millennium attack plots, plan to bomb LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California
2001 December 22: Richard Reid tackled by passengers in a plane traveling from Paris to Miami when he tried to light explosives concealed in his shoe.
2004 Financial buildings plot: Al-Qaeda plan to bomb the International Monetary Fund, New York Stock Exchange, Citigroup and Prudential buildings broken up after arrest of computer expert in Pakistan and plotters in Britain.
2004 Columbus Shopping Mall Bombing Plot: A loosely organized group of young men planned to carry out an attack on an unnamed shopping mall.
2009 2009 New York bomb plot

Alleged & Proven Islamic Attack Plots (since 2000)
2002 May 8: José Padilla accused by John Ashcroft of plotting to attack the United States with a dirty bomb, declared as an enemy combatant, and denied habeas corpus. No material evidence has been produced to support the allegation.
2003 May 1: Iyman Faris pleas guilty to providing material support to Al Qaeda and plotting to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge by cutting through cables with blowtorches. He had been working as a double for the FBI since March, but in October was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
2005 August 31: Kevin James, founder of radical Islamic group J.I.S (Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh), Hammad Samana, Gregory Patterson, and Levar Washington were indicted on charges to wage war against the U.S. government through terrorism in California. James later pled guilty to the conspiracy charge.
2006 February 21: The Toledo terror plot where three men were accused of conspiring to wage a "holy war" against the United States, supply help to the terrorist in Iraq, and threatening to kill the US president.
2006 June 23: The Miami bomb plot to attack the Sears Tower where seven men were arrested after an FBI agent infiltrated a group while posing as an al-Qaeda member. No weapons or other materials were found. On May 12, 2009 after two mistrials due to hung juries five men were convicted and one acquitted on charges related to the plot. Narseal Batiste the groups ringleader was convicted on four charges the only defendant to be convicted on all four charges brought against the defendants.
2006 July 7: Three suspects arrested in Lebanon for plotting to blow up a Hudson River tunnel and flood the New York financial district.
2006 December 8: Derrick Shareef, 22, a Muslim convert who talked about his desire to wage jihad against civilians was charged in a plot to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans December 22 at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, Illinois.
2007 May 7: Fort Dix attack plot Six men inspired by Jihadist videos arrested in a failed homegrown terrorism plot to kill soldiers. Plot unravels when Circuit City clerk becomes suspicious of the DVDs the men had created and report it to authorities who place an informant in the group. In October 2008 one man pleaded guilty to charges related to the plot. On December 22, 2008 five other men were convicted with conspiracy to kill American soldiers but were acquitted of attempted murder.. Dritan, Shain and Eljvir Duka were sentenced to life iin prison.
2007 June 3: John F. Kennedy International Airport terror plot Four men indicted in plot to blow up jet-fuel supply tanks at JFK Airport and a 40-mile connecting pipeline. One suspect is a U.S. citizen and one, Abdul Kadir, is former member of parliament in Guyana. All The airport was targeted because one of the suspects saw arms shipments and missiles being shipped to Israel from that locale. In a recorded conversation one of the suspects allegedly told an informant that "Anytime you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United States. To hit John F. Kennedy, wow.... They love JFK -- he's like the man". Plot unraveled when a person from law enforcement was recruited.
2009 May 20: 2009 New York City bomb plot Three U.S. citizens and one Haitian from Newburgh, New York were arrested in a plot to bomb a Riverdale Temple and a Riverdale Jewish Center in The Bronx, New York City in an alleged homegrown terrorist plot. It was also alleged that they planed to shoot down military planes operating out of Stewart Air National Guard Base also in Newburgh. One of the suspects whose parents are from Afghanistan was said to be "unhappy that many Muslim people were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States Military forces."
2009 September: Najibullah Zazi of Denver was indicted on charges of trying to build and detonate a weapon of mass destruction by purchasiing hydrogen peroxide, acetone and other chemicals. Prosecutors suspect he wanted set off bombs on September 11 on commuter trains in New York. On September 29 Zazi plead not guilty to the charges. Zazi and two others were prevoiusly arrested on charges of making false statements to the government following raids in New York City and Colorado. ABC News reported that the plot involves at least three teams of four men each.. As of September 25 dozens of suspects were still being monitored.
2009 August - September: On September 24 William Boyd and Hysen Sherifi charged with "conducting reconnaissance of the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia and obtaining armor-piercing ammunition with the intent to attack Americans". Boyd, two of his sons and several other suspects had been charged on international terrorism charges in August, but at the time there was no indication that they wanted to plot a United States attack. An audio tape of Boyd decrying the U.S. military, discussing the honor of martyrdom, and bemoaning the struggle of Muslims was played at a August hearing. It is the first case of a ring of homegrown terrorists having specific targets..
2009 September 24: Michael Finton/Talib Islam a 29 year old man from Illinois charged with trying to kill federal employees by detonating a car bomb at the federal building in Springfield, Illinois. Charges based on F.B.I. sting operation. He is said to idolize American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh.
2009 September 24: Hosam Maher Husein Smadi a 19 year old illegal immigrant from Jordan charged with trying the bomb the 60 story Fountain Place office tower in Dallas, Texas. Charges are based on F.B.I. sting operation in which agents posed as members of an Al Queda sleeper cell.
2009 October 21: Tarek Mehanna a pharmacist from suburban Boston arrested on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The federal charge alleges a plot to obtain atomic weapons, shoot up two mails, and assassinate two unnamed former members of the executive branch of the federal government. The alleged plot was repotedly inspired by the 2002 Beltway Sniper Attacks. The suspect allegedly went abroad on a failed trip to buy weapons.

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Islamic Attacks in the US (partially or wholly successful, since 1993)

Failed Islamic Attacks in the US (since 2000)

Alleged & Proven Islamic Attack Plots (since 2000)