5th Air Scare in 10 Days:

Drunken Britons spark 'bomb threat' scare in Heathrow airport

Three arrested at Heathrow airport over alleged bomb attack

Ria Novosti, 9/01/2010

Three drunk passengers have been arrested and taken off a flight en route from London to Emirates, SkyNews website reported.

According to the agency, three men aging 58, 48 and 36 were rushed by police from the board of the plane after they had allegedly made remarks concerning a planted bomb on board of the plane.

Another unruly passenger requires escort of U.S. fighters

09/01/2010

Two F-16 fighters have been put on alert to escort an airliner bound from U.S. Atlanta to San Francisco after a disruptive passenger locked himself in a lavatory.

CNN said quoting one of the North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) officials as saying that the "passenger had become belligerent and refused to leave the restroom," as he was apparently intoxicated.

This is at least the second case in a week involving a disruptive passenger on board of U.S. airlines after an unruly passenger forced two days ago a passenger jet to be escorted back by two F-15 fighters to Portland, Oregon.

A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an A330 passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, tried to blow up a plane that was carrying some 300 people. He said after his arrest he was working on orders from Al-Qaeda.

WASHINGTON, January 9 (RIA Novosti)

U.S. airliner returns after take-off over disruptive passenger

07/01/2010

A U.S. passenger airliner with 231 people on board bound for Hawaii was escorted back to Portland International Airport by two F-15 fighters after one of the passengers become disruptive, FoxNews.com website reported.

The passenger refused to store his duffle bag properly and handed the captain of the airliner a note via a flight attendant that contained aggressive statements addressed to the crew.

The captain of the passenger jet, which belongs to Hawaiian Airlines, made the decision to return back to Portland in order for security officials to take off the unruly passenger.

FoxNews.com quoted Keoni Wagner, a spokesman for Hawaiian Airlines, as saying that the incident had nothing to do with terrorism.

"This is kind of a routine passenger disturbance on board. A guy is being taken off the flight, but it's not of any particular concern," Wagner was quoted as saying.

A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an A330 passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, tried to blow up a plane that was carrying some 300 people. He said after his arrest he was working on orders from Al-Qaeda.

MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti)

Another Nigerian passenger causes panic on U.S. flight

28/12/2009

U.S. special forces have been put on alert as a result of the suspicious conduct of a 30-year-old Nigerian passenger onboard a Delta Airlines plane, the Fox News channel has reported.

The incident, which "turned out to be nothing serious," took place on the same Amsterdam-Detroit flight, which was subject to a failed bomb attack, carried out by another Nigerian man on Christmas Day. There were 256 people on board that plane.

"A passenger on today's Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit spent an unusually long time in the aircraft lavatory. Due to this unusual behavior, the airline notified TSA and the agency directed the flight to taxi to a remote area upon landing to be met by law enforcement and DHS," the channel quoted a statement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as saying.

The suspicious passenger boarded a plane in Lagos, Nigeria, with no baggage, and locked himself in a toilet for an hour. He was removed from the flight and interviewed by the FBI.

It turned out that the detainee was a businessman who fell ill during the flight.

"Though this does not appear at this time to be a security incident, in an abundance of caution, the aircraft was fully screened, with negative results, and all baggage is being rescreened before the aircraft taxis to the gate," the statement said.

A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an A330 passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, tried to blow up the plane that was carrying some 300 people. He was detained and has charged with attempted terrorist attack.

The president will hold an emergency meeting on aviation security issues soon.

WASHINGTON, December 28 (RIA Novosti)

Obama says responsible for failure to avert Christmas Day attack

08/01/2010

U.S. President Barack Obama has taken responsibility for the intelligence services' failure to avert a Christmas Day terrorist attack on a passenger jet.

"This incident was not the fault of a single individual or organization, but rather a systemic failure across organizations and agencies," Obama said in a statement on the aviation security situation.

"Ultimately, the buck stops with me. As President, I have a solemn responsibility to protect our nation and our people. And when the system fails, it is my responsibility," he said.

A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an S330 jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, tried to blow up a plane that was carrying some 300 people.

Passengers and the crew subdued him, and he was detained and charged with attempted terrorist attack. It turned out that Abdulmutallab had undergone training at an al-Qaeda camp in Yemen.

WASHINGTON, January 8 (RIA Novosti)