Former Air Force member detained after bomb scare on plane
WASHINGTON. April 28. KAZINFORM A former Air Force member who claimed to have explosives on board a Delta Airline plane from Paris to Atlanta forced the plane to divert to an airport in Maine Tuesday; KAzinform refers to China Daily.
The plane landed at Bangor airport in Maine Tuesday afternoon, after Federal Air Marshals on board flight 273 restrained the passenger. Delta said in a statement the diversion was due to a "disruptive passenger."
The plane is an A330 airliner with 235 passengers and 13 crew on board. Authorities said a passenger claimed to have fake travel documents and explosives in the luggage.
CNN quoted fellow passengers as saying the man was in his twenties, and sat at the back of the plane. After he was apprehended, passengers around him were moved to the front part of the plane. Flight attendants collected passengers' pillows and blankets, piling the cushions in the back of the plane.
The passenger was taken off the plane by authorities, and investigators were questioning him. They said his passport appeared to be authentic.
Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that after the plane landed, the agency and law enforcement met the flight. The passenger is currently being interviewed by law enforcement.
The unruly passenger was identified by his father as 26-year-old Derek Stansberry of Riverview, Florida; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn