US airline diverted after bomb claims by Air Force ex-member
Source: Agencies |
April 29, 2010, Thursday
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A FORMER United States Air Force member who was detained on Tuesday on a trans-Atlantic flight after allegedly claiming he had explosives in his luggage and a fake passport lives a "squeaky clean" life and has never been in trouble before, his father said.
Richard Stansberry said government officials told him the man who was detained after the Paris-to-Atlanta flight was diverted to Maine is his son, 26-year-old Derek Stansberry.
The father said government officials questioned him, but he was as perplexed as they were.
"My son's profession in the military required he live a squeaky clean life," Richard Stansberry said.
He said his son served four years in the Air Force before leaving last year for a job in the private sector. He wouldn't identify his son's employer, but said the firm does work for the Air Force.
There were 235 passengers and 13 crew aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 273. The flight landed safely just after 3:30pm at Bangor International Airport.
According to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the man claimed to have explosives in his luggage and a fake passport. They said his passport was authentic, and there were no explosives found on board the plane.
Federal officials met the aircraft at the airport. The Transportation Security Administration said the passenger was being interviewed by law enforcement.
In Washington, Air Force spokeswoman Linda Pepin said the man detained on the plane was a senior airman and worked as an intelligence specialist. She said he was on active duty from June 2005 to 2009 and was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Passengers interviewed on Tuesday night said there were some tense moments but everyone remained calm and there was no shouting or ruckus.
After the man was apprehended, flight attendants asked passengers in the back of the plane to move to empty seats in the front.
"It was definitely surreal, something you only hear about," according to Charde Houston, a forward for the women's professional basketball team Minnesota Lynx, who was on the flight.
After the failed attack aboard a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, for a period of time there were extra pat-downs before boarding flights, no getting up for the last hour of the flight and some passengers reported being told they couldn't have items in their laps, including laptops and pillows.
All passengers were taken off the plane because it was an international flight and they needed to clear customs, said Rebecca Hupp, airport director.
Delta originally said the Airbus A330 would continue to Atlanta, but an announcement over the airport loudspeakers at 6:30pm alerted passengers that they'd be spending the night in Bangor.
Richard Stansberry said government officials told him the man who was detained after the Paris-to-Atlanta flight was diverted to Maine is his son, 26-year-old Derek Stansberry.
The father said government officials questioned him, but he was as perplexed as they were.
"My son's profession in the military required he live a squeaky clean life," Richard Stansberry said.
He said his son served four years in the Air Force before leaving last year for a job in the private sector. He wouldn't identify his son's employer, but said the firm does work for the Air Force.
There were 235 passengers and 13 crew aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 273. The flight landed safely just after 3:30pm at Bangor International Airport.
According to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the man claimed to have explosives in his luggage and a fake passport. They said his passport was authentic, and there were no explosives found on board the plane.
Federal officials met the aircraft at the airport. The Transportation Security Administration said the passenger was being interviewed by law enforcement.
In Washington, Air Force spokeswoman Linda Pepin said the man detained on the plane was a senior airman and worked as an intelligence specialist. She said he was on active duty from June 2005 to 2009 and was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Passengers interviewed on Tuesday night said there were some tense moments but everyone remained calm and there was no shouting or ruckus.
After the man was apprehended, flight attendants asked passengers in the back of the plane to move to empty seats in the front.
"It was definitely surreal, something you only hear about," according to Charde Houston, a forward for the women's professional basketball team Minnesota Lynx, who was on the flight.
After the failed attack aboard a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, for a period of time there were extra pat-downs before boarding flights, no getting up for the last hour of the flight and some passengers reported being told they couldn't have items in their laps, including laptops and pillows.
All passengers were taken off the plane because it was an international flight and they needed to clear customs, said Rebecca Hupp, airport director.
Delta originally said the Airbus A330 would continue to Atlanta, but an announcement over the airport loudspeakers at 6:30pm alerted passengers that they'd be spending the night in Bangor.
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