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Bomb try suspected on flight to Miami
Compiled from Times wires BOSTON -- A passenger on a jetliner bound from Paris to Miami tried to ignite what may have been an explosive in his sneakers Saturday, but flight attendants and fellow passengers subdued him, witnesses and authorities said. The plane, escorted by military jets, landed safely in Boston. The suspect was taken into custody by the FBI. Authorities were investigating whether he used a British passport with the fake identity "Richard Reid." After the man tried to light a fuse protruding from his shoe, a flight attendant intervened and the 6-foot-4 suspect resisted and bit her, authorities said. Passengers subdued the man, some taking off their own belts to secure him into his seat, officials said. Two doctors used the airplane's onboard medical kit to sedate him, and the man's shoe was removed. "When he was attempted to be subdued, he said he was wired," said Thomas Kinton, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport. Passenger Thierry Dugeon, 36, of Paris, said he was seated about 10 rows behind the suspect, and estimated that five or six male passengers subdued him. "I was there in five seconds, and there were already two or three guys on him. It was like everybody knew what they needed to do," he said. "It's pure instinct because it goes so fast. You're not going to think twice." Several people aboard the jet suffered minor injuries in the scuffle, Knight Ridder Newspapers reported. The government and airlines have taken steps to tighten security aboard planes, including banning knives or other blades and increasing the number of passengers whose luggage is searched. The Associated Press, citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that on Dec. 11 the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of the possibility of terrorist hijackings in the United States and Europe during the holidays, and cautioned that hijackers could conceal weapons in their shoes. Two F-15 fighter jets escorted the plane, American Airlines Flight 63, to Logan International Airport, where it landed at 12:50 p.m. with police, fire and bomb squads standing by. The 185 passengers and 12 crew members were taken off safely. "They X-rayed the shoe and found that in the heel, there were holes drilled, and there looked to be a detonator wire, and the substances consistent with (the explosive) C-4," said Massport spokeswoman Laura White. The shoe was taken from the 767 jetliner, rendered harmless and taken to an FBI lab, along with the man's other shoe, officials said. Dugeon, the French passenger, described the shoes as hightop basketball sneakers. Kinton said a shoe contained an "improvised explosive." But the FBI was continuing to examine the substance to see whether it was an explosive, according to a government official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Associated Press reported. White House officials monitored the situation throughout the afternoon and President Bush received two briefings, spokesman Scott McClellan said. Administration officials also consulted with acting Gov. Jane Swift's office. "The investigation is ongoing and we are continuing to monitor events with the FBI and others involved," McClellan said. White said the man's passport, issued in Belgium three weeks ago, was "questionable." He boarded the plane without luggage or additional identification and was apparently traveling alone. The other passengers were also being questioned, White said, and the aircraft and luggage were searched. The passengers were to be put on another flight to Miami.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
