Airline escorted by F16 to IAH airport Houston TX

News | 9-11-02 | AV

[LikeLight]

Wouldn't want any actual news to detract from the pre-scheduled news of the day . . .

[blam]

American Air Jet Diverted in 'Security Incident'

Wed Sep 11, 3:22 PM ET

HOUSTON (Reuters) - An American Airlines jet bound for Dallas returned to Houston Intercontinental Airport shortly after takeoff on Wednesday because of what an airlines spokesman called "a security incident" on board.

An FBI spokesman told a Houston television station there may have been an attempted hijacking on board.

"It appears to be an attempted hijacking, but I do not have that confirmed," FBI agent Robert Doguim told KHOU-TV in Houston.

News reports said passengers reported seeing two men in the cabin with what appeared to be a weapon, possibly a folding knife. The reports said the men were taken into custody.

American spokesman Gus Whitcomb told Reuters that two U.S. air marshals were on the flight, as were four crew members and 50 passengers.

[Naspino]

Someone posted this http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/748858/posts

This account says that two men were seen in the cockpit wielding a knife.

[spokeshave]

Mineta to retire.....news at 11

[ET(end tyranny)]

FNC reporting the incident now.

[Naspino]

Ok - so two guys, one midget and the other was a penguin -- more to follow -- the race of the penguin is being withheld.

[da_toolman]

This account says that two men were seen in the cockpit wielding a knife.

Um, it says cabin, not cockpit.

[hispanarepublicana]

FBI agent Robert Doguim

What do you bet that Agent Doguim will be spending the rest of his career at a desk with a yellow highlighting marker going through telephone bills in white collar crime cases?

[joyful1]

Couldn't be Muslims, cause their pieceful!!

[uncbob]

I have a feeling this is a copycat/lone nutcase situation

My first thoughts also

[ET(end tyranny)]

Think they'll ever tell us their nationality?

[antivenom]

Flight escorted to Houston's Bush airport by F-16s

09/11/2002

By PAM EASTON / Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) -- An American Airlines flight was escorted back to Bush Intercontinental Airport by F-16 fighters Wednesday afternoon after what FBI officials initially reported to be an attempted hijacking.

"I understand that it is, it appears to be an attempted hijacking but I do not have that confirmed," said FBI spokesman Bob Doguim. "Until personnel out at the airport has a chance to talk with the air marshals that were on board and also interview whoever it is they determined needed to be pulled off that flight, I won't be able to confirm much more than that."

Flight 1720, with 50 passengers, departed Houston for Dallas at 12:28 p.m. but returned to Bush Intercontinental at 1:08 p.m. after reports of a disturbance on board. The flight's ultimate destination was Nashville, Tenn.

"The captain returned to Houston due to a potential security incident," said American spokesman Todd Burke. "We did have two federal air marshals on board. Our reports indicate the passenger involved has been removed from the aircraft."

Neither Burke or Doguim had any more details about the disturbance on board or if any weapons were involved. No injuries were reported.

Doguim said he did not want to speculate on what exactly happened on the plane.

"We should find comfort in the fact that there were federal air marshals on that flight and the quick response from personnel assigned out at the airport," Doguim said. "There's no need to alarm anybody with misinformation. We have it under control."

[Sub-Driver]

Attempted hijacking reported at Bush Intercontinental Airport
Associated Press

An American Airlines flight was escorted back to Bush Intercontinental Airport by F-16 fighters this afternoon after a disturbance that FBI officials think was an attempted hijacking.

"I understand that it is, it appears to be an attempted hijacking, but I do not have that confirmed," said FBI spokesman Bob Doguim. "Until personnel out at the airport has a chance to talk with the air marshals that were on board and also interview whoever it is they determined needed to be pulled off that flight, I won't be able to confirm much more than that."

Flight 1720, with 50 passengers, departed Houston for Dallas at 12:28 p.m. but returned to Bush Intercontinental at 1:08 p.m. after reports of a disturbance on board. The flight's ultimate destination was Nashville, Tenn.

"The captain returned to Houston due to a potential security incident," said American spokesman Todd Burke. "We did have two federal air marshals on board. Our reports indicate the passenger involved has been removed from the aircraft."

Neither Burke or Doguim had any more details about the disturbance on board or if any weapons were involved. No injuries were reported.

Doguim said he did not want to speculate on what exactly happened on the plane.

"We should find comfort in the fact that there were federal air marshals on that flight and the quick response from personnel assigned out at the airport," Doguim said. "There's no need to alarm anybody with misinformation. We have it under control."


Earlier today, another airliner was diverted to Fort Smith, Ark., because four passengers behaved strangely on the flight, including at least three who locked themselves in a restroom, possibly shaving their body hair.

No injuries were reported.

Federal officials, speaking on a condition of anonymity, said the incident was not believed to be related to terrorism.

However, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, where Northwest Airlines is based, quoted an unidentified source as saying the men were "shaving themselves clean." A source speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that people aboard the airplane gave investigators similar accounts.

After last year's terror attacks, documents found in the luggage of attack leader Mohamed Atta gave what appeared to be instructions for the suicide hijackers: "The previous night, shave the extra hair from the body (and) pray."

The men appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, said Jim Harris, a spokesman for Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Scott Brenner said some people were detained by the FBI at Fort Smith, but he didn't know how many. The FBI office at Little Rock said the men were taken off the plane but their whereabouts were unknown.

The Bush administration had raised the nation's terror alert warning to its second highest level Tuesday -- code orange -- signaling a "high risk" of attack on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Airbus took off from Memphis at 8:47 a.m. Central time and was scheduled to arrive at Las Vegas at 10:19 a.m. Pacific time.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Earlier today, another airliner was diverted to Fort Smith, Ark., because four passengers behaved strangely on the flight, including at least three who locked themselves in a restroom, possibly shaving their body hair.

The three clinton's?

[js1138]

"The previous night, shave the extra hair from the body (and) pray."

What a great profiling opportunity. Bring on those "soft" x-ray machines.

[A2J]

I am waiting to find out the "ethnic" description...will keep you posted...

Maybe it's one of Vicente Fox's "migrants," who didn't feel like swimming back across the Rio Grande.

[antivenom]

WHOEVER it is...picked a "bad" day to bring a knife onboard an aircraft...should be executed for sheer stupidity to prevent polluting the gene pool...

[Arthur McGowan]

They were seen with knives in the CABIN, not the COCKPIT!

[Shermy]

HOUSTON -- Security officials grounded an American Airlines flight Wednesday afternoon at one of Houston's airports, authorities said.

Airport officials told News2Houston that American Airlines Flight 1702 was held at one of the runways after being escorted by F-16 fighters.

The flight with 50 passengers on board departed Houston at 12:28 p.m. but was returned back to the airport at 1:08 p.m. and then was later docked at the airport terminal.

Houston Airport System spokesman Ernie DeSoto said that the plane was surrounded by security.

U.S. air marshals were also aboard the Dallas-bound flight, DeSoto said.

DeSoto said that initial reports that the incident is an attempted hijacking are false.

Sources said that someone aboard the plane had noticed that one or two passengers were carrying what appeared to be a razor or knife.

Soon after, air marshals took control of the plane after some type of disturbance occurred on the flight and took two men into custody for questioning, sources said.

.....

Not a hijacking, because they got caught first? Whew, that makes me feel better. < /sarcasm>

[A2J]

Mineta to retire.....news at 11

That's not funny. To elevate my hopes to such heights only to realize that it's not true is not funny at all.