An Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle was diverted to Spokane, Washington, on Wednesday, after a passenger made a bomb threat, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A man on Flight 334 “made a direct threat to the safety of our aircraft to one of our flight attendants,” Alaska Airlines said in a written statement. “As a precaution, the flight was diverted to Spokane and landed safely at 5:15 p.m.”
Police responded and met the plane when it landed. A search of the plane did not reveal any explosives.
Spokane TV station KXLY reported Wednesday that police had received reports about a bomb threat, temporarily halting flights at Spokane International Airport.
On Thursday, the FBI filed documents in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Washington to support charging passenger Brandon L. Scott with providing false information and conducting hoaxes.
The FBI said Scott, a 38-year-old born in Kentucky, was seated in first class and has prior convictions including kidnapping and robbery.
During the flight he handed a note written on a paper receipt to a flight attendant that said “There is a bomb on the plane. This is not a joke. Several pounds of homemade explosives are in my carry on bag,” an FBI affidavit said.
The note demanded that the plane be rerouted from its destination of Seattle, according to the FBI, and the flight attendant contacted the pilots, who advised air traffic control and airline security dispatch of the threat. The flight was then rerouted to Spokane, where it landed without incident and was met by emergency crews and law enforcement who detained Scott.
The Boeing 737 aircraft had 6 crew members and 177 passengers. A passenger saw Scott writing the note during the flight, according to information relayed to law enforcement agents.
Scott admitted to writing the note with false information, and told law enforcement he was being targeted by the Sinaloa cartel with members of the cartel waiting for him to land in Seattle, according to the FBI affidavit.
Scott “stated he did not think of a more reasonable approach such as contacting law enforcement personnel at the airport to ask for help or assistance,” the FBI affidavit said.
About the Author
