Fighter jets escort plane to Sea-Tac after hijack threat
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SEATTLE -- A pair of Oregon-based fighter jets escorted an Alaska Airlines flight into Sea-Tac Airport Thursday night after the FBI got word of a potential hijack threat on board.
The two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled from the Oregon Air National Guard base in Portland and escorted the plane -- which originated in Kona, Hawaii -- the rest of the way to Sea-Tac, according to Alaska Air officials.
Honolulu-based FBI special agent Tom Simon said agents received an anonymous call Thursday evening warning that a man on the flight was a hijacker. Agents alerted the flight crew, who watched the man, but did not attempt to subdue him. The man was not acting suspiciously and, in fact, slept the majority of the flight, according to Alaska Air officials.
The plane landed at 7:12 p.m. -- 3 minutes early -- and one passenger was taken into custody.
Sea-Tac representative Perry Cooper said the FBI notified the Port of Seattle about a situation on flight 819 while the plane was airborne. Once it was safely on the tarmac, Port of Seattle Police boarded the plane from the rear and detained the passenger. All other passengers deplaned without incident.
Port of Seattle officers turned the man over to the FBI for questioning. Simon said the man is cooperating with FBI agents and has nothing in his history that would lead law enforcement to believe he is associated with any terrorist groups.
Ayn Dietrich with FBI in Seattle said there is no indication of a credible threat, but Simon said the investigation is in its early stages.
"If this this turns out to be a hoax, and I think it's premature to characterize it as that, I can promise you that the FBI in Honolulu is going to investigate that, because that's just not something we will stand for," he said.
Dietrich said agents finished interviewing the passenger sometime Thursday night and were no longer detaining him.
The two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled from the Oregon Air National Guard base in Portland and escorted the plane -- which originated in Kona, Hawaii -- the rest of the way to Sea-Tac, according to Alaska Air officials.
Honolulu-based FBI special agent Tom Simon said agents received an anonymous call Thursday evening warning that a man on the flight was a hijacker. Agents alerted the flight crew, who watched the man, but did not attempt to subdue him. The man was not acting suspiciously and, in fact, slept the majority of the flight, according to Alaska Air officials.
The plane landed at 7:12 p.m. -- 3 minutes early -- and one passenger was taken into custody.
Sea-Tac representative Perry Cooper said the FBI notified the Port of Seattle about a situation on flight 819 while the plane was airborne. Once it was safely on the tarmac, Port of Seattle Police boarded the plane from the rear and detained the passenger. All other passengers deplaned without incident.
Port of Seattle officers turned the man over to the FBI for questioning. Simon said the man is cooperating with FBI agents and has nothing in his history that would lead law enforcement to believe he is associated with any terrorist groups.
Ayn Dietrich with FBI in Seattle said there is no indication of a credible threat, but Simon said the investigation is in its early stages.
"If this this turns out to be a hoax, and I think it's premature to characterize it as that, I can promise you that the FBI in Honolulu is going to investigate that, because that's just not something we will stand for," he said.
Dietrich said agents finished interviewing the passenger sometime Thursday night and were no longer detaining him.
I glad to hear it was a hoax and everybody is alright.
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However as a taxpayer I demand that the persons or persons who obviously and WILLFULLY caused this incedent be punished, including some time to think in jail.
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It is common knowledge that this type of behavor when it comes to air travel is inexcusable in this day and age, and for someone to try and say "I didn't know" is BS.
That's why I just hate to fly with some turkeys like this....K-Mart customers !
Divorce gone wrong?
I wonder how they determine what they should act on or not? They might have to send the jets out no matter what as a precaution. It sounds like an expensive hassle. but when you don't have any information other than there's a threat, what are you supposed to do?Â
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Personally I'm glad to see those beasts get some action in the air. We paid for them, after all.Â
Yes, expensive, but they are required to fly a certain number of sorties each month anyway. These fighters tend to fall apart if they just sit on the tarmac too long. There was nothing worse than dealing with a jet that had been idle for a few days...pilot always came back with a "Code 2 or 3" status, which meant more work for us.
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I would think they would respond to any threat. Although it does make me wonder how someone would go about hijacking a plane these days. It's not as if you can just stroll into the cockpit and take over the plane. Also, I would think the passengers would beat him within an inch of his life the minute he started pounding on that door.
I remember when a couple F15's went super sonic over western WA. Good times. **BOOOOOM** "Holy crap, what was that!!??"
I'm surprised Seattle's loud liberal minorities haven't tried to ban such a mean and oppressive looking "assault"Â aircraft from entering Seattle's airspace.
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 @Attila does your mommie  know you're posting this junk?
 @cawlnaduckaduck Stop trolling for attention.
I wish i could sleep on a 5+ hr flight, it never happens, needless to say the identity of the person will never be known or heard of again.
"The man was not acting suspiciously and, in fact, slept the majority of the flight, according to Alaska Air officials."
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I wish all kids on long flights would sleep...
The man was asleep... nothing further has been sighted about the "threat" he presented. However, we can all count on our tax dollars going towards protection for own good. Really?!!!
 @makeadifference Would you rather they'd ignored it because he'd been sleeping and upon approach in Seattle had acted, taken over the plane and crashed it ? Because that's what could have happened.Â
I have a great idea! Take a flight somewhere, have a friend call in an anonymous hijack threat on you with an untraceable "burner" phone. Then sue the hell out of the government for "mistreatment".
 @Mumblix Grumph And make great time as you get a strait in approach clearance...
Its very obvious that someone does not like this guy.
@RainyHere ...or has a friend whose idea of a joke is about to backfire spectacularly.
 @RainyHere Probably a vindictive ex.
get over it, this is what we use your taxes for. and yes the jets would have shot them down, nobody cares so move on....everyone here freaking complains so damn much
 @ISUPPORTTHENRA Including you, it seems.
Sounds like a hoax, sounds like the feds fell for it, and sounds like they burned up a bunch of tax money in the process.Â
What had happened if there was a hijacker on board? What would the Fighter Planes escorting the Flight do? Shoot it Down? Hmmmm
@Telman@ Potentially, yes.
The plane would be shot down rather than being allowed to be used to land in a populated area.
@Telman@ If the hijacker was flying the plane...yes. I'd hope they take it down over the ocean.
 @Telman@ same thought just occurred to me when seeing the picture. After 9/11 they treat hijacked planes as hostile missiles, which is not exactly comforting to the passengers, I must say.
 @Komo Dragon  @Telman@ How much do you think the passengers knew? True question - no sarcasm....I want to think not much. But, with the fighter jets...?
 @seattleemt  @Thunder  @Komo Dragon  @Telman@ That's not entirely accurate. I have been in a plane that was escorted, and they were right off the wings. But for a suspected HJ'er that hasn't made  move yet, yeah, probably back a bit so as not to spook them.
 @seattleemt  @Komo Dragon  @Telman@ That's what I was leaning towards i.e. passengers oblivious. Pretty amazing, those jets.
 @Thunder  @Komo Dragon  @Telman@ I doubt anyone knew about the fighter jets except for the pilots. Unlike the movies fighter jets do not fly wingtip to wingtip with a passenger jet.  Realistically they were probably within missile range which is about 20 miles. Those jets can travel well over the speed of sound and could have been there in seconds.
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The jets probably didnt reveal themselves until the plane was on the ground.
 @Komo Dragon  @Telman@ It does provide serious motivation for the passengers to overwhelm the threat, I would venture.
They will figure it out and someone is going to "hurt".
and meanwhile lawyers are beating each other silly to get to the guy and have him sign with them.
@Alex Clayton Airline, maybe. FBI an LE, I don't think so. They were provided with a description which even if from an anonymous source is enough for the investigative detention. Of course, not having all the info, I would hedge my bet by saying it depends on how detailed the description was.
I do believe an Infidel called in this threat.
If he was not unruly and slept most of the flight and it all originated with an "anonymous" phone call, it makes me think someone was trying to ruin this persons life? Why would be sleep and be calm an entire flight if the person was considering high jacking the flight? Seems like that trend of "swatting" has now hit the unfriendly skies now.
Strange the man slept most of the way. He must have known he was being watched. I wonder if his original starting point was the island or if he was fleeing from say Bangkok. we will hear more. High-profile action to scramble jets mean the man has a high-profile circumstance to burn tax payers money.
Ouch. Whoever it was, they wanted him bad. Strange; usually these types want to do anything but stand out when flying.