Posted on 09/11/2002 11:41:30 AM PDT by antivenom
See title...man possibly with a knife...
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.
American Airlines officials said that the captain returned the plane to the airport due to a potential security breach.
No injuries were reported. The airplane is a Fokker F-100, which is a luxury jet with the capacity to carry 97 passengers.
The jet is the smallest aircraft in the American Airlines fleet.
The 98,000-pound aircraft has a range of 1,100 miles and can cruise at 500 mph at altitudes of up to 35,000 feet.
The F-100 has been in service with American since 1991.
If confirmed, this could be a very telling sign of their intentions. Think the instructions for night-before preparations of the 9/11 hijackers. Wonder if we'll hear more...
Can you say coverups already starting?
From Staff and Wire Reports
HOUSTON - A Dallas-bound American Airlines flight was escorted Wednesday afternoon by F-16 fighter jets to Bush Intercontinental Airport after a disturbance was reported 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.
KHOU-TV Security vehicles escorted the American Airlines jet after it made an unscheduled landing at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Ernie DeSoto, a spokesman for Houston Airport System, said two people of Middle Eastern descent were taken into custody by Houston police. Their names were not released.
Flight 1702, with 50 passengers on board, had been headed to Nashville with an intermediate stop at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Passengers on the jet were being debriefed about what they saw. "Air marshals were on board," Mr. DeSoto said. "They didn't break their cover."
In Austin, Texas Land Commissioner David Dewhurst told TXCN the captain's decision to turn the plane around was based on the recommendation of a flight attendant.
"The behavior, the general behavior of one of the passengers made one of the flight attendants very, very nervous," Mr. Dewhurst said. "The captain made the decision in light of the alert that we're under to divert the plane and go back to Houston."
"The captain returned to Houston due to a potential security incident," said American spokesman Todd Burke. "Our reports indicate the passenger involved has been removed from the aircraft."
"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," Mr. Doguim said. "There's no need to alarm anybody with misinformation. We have it under control."
The twin-engine jet involved in this incident has 111 seats and was built in 1993. American has 74 F100s in its fleet. This summer, the airline said it would be retiring the model within a year.
(09-11) 13:04 PDT HOUSTON (AP) -- An American Airlines jet returned to Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday after reports of a disturbance on board, officials said.
FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said authorities were looking into the possibility someone may have tried to hijack the flight. But a government official familiar with the incident said later that there's no evidence of that.
"We do not believe there was a hijacking attempt on that flight," the official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.
Dog... sadly walks away shaking his head.
I agree. I mean there are four TV cameras focused on the plane, the FBI, sheriff, private security, customs and a load of passengers are all going to cover this up!
We put up with nuts, nutty people who see knives where there are combs, FReepers who post not knowing any facts, and people like you who see coverup in every action.
Get a life, get out more, travel and take note of things past the end of your nose!
Guess to people like you they were just preparing for a bath huh? Most of us know better, I suggest you peddle the "It's never terrorist related" garbage. elsewhere. Always best to assume the worst instead of following the other good little sheeple, you might just escape a "Non-Terrorist" incident.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.