[UPDATES BELOW] Federal air marshals subdued a man who authorities say attempted to “light his shoes on fire” on a United flight from Washington Reagan to Denver Wednesday night, federal law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Authorities say an explosive team is on the way to the airport, and that while the presence of explosives has not yet been confirmed, they believe it was an attempted “shoe bomb.”
The suspect was identified by authorities as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy in Washington, Mohammed al Modadi. The FBI said the man had full diplomat immunity as the 3rd secretary and vice-consul.
UPDATE 10:38PM EST: Two fighter jets were scrambled from Buckley Air Force Base to accompany United Flight 663, a Boeing 757 as it flew the final 40 miles to Denver where it landed safely.
UPDATE 10:47PM EST: A half hour before landing, an air marshal smelled smoke and confronted a man emerging from a bathroom who claimed he was trying to set his shoes on fire, WNBC reported.
It was uncertain if anything actually was on fire or if this was a joke, NBC reported. Investigators were looking to see what might be in the man’s shoes.
UPDATE 10:52PM EST (WCBSTV): Officials insisted Wednesday night it was still too early to tell whether the incident was an attempted act of terrorism or a giant misunderstanding.
UPDATE 11:58PM EST NBC NEWS: A Qatari diplomat sneaking a smoke in an airplane bathroom sparked a bomb scare Wednesday night on a flight from Washington to Denver, law enforcement officials said.
The passenger was detained by a federal air marshal, but no explosives were found and it’s believed the man meant no harm, senior law enforcement officials said.
Federal officials told NBC News that a half hour before the jet landed, a flight attendant smelled smoke just as a passenger was coming out of a restroom and alerted an air marshal. The marshal confronted the man, and there were initial reports that the man said he was trying to light his shoe.
But NBC News reported that the man said he was putting out a cigarette, which he smoked in the restroom, on the sole of his shoe.
No explosives were found on the man, and a search of the plane with bomb-detecting dogs also turned up no explosives. And a federal official said the man was wearing sandals.
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11 Responses
Mohammed al Modadi, you think?
its time to profile, no exceptions
rabosai, wakeup america !
What happened to all the tightened security?
watch and see , our president will say it is our fault
I can’t wait to see what new takanos the TSA is going to come out with now. This should be intresting to see how stupid theyre going to get. Stay tuned.
Arest him
NBC News reported that the man said he was putting out a cigarette, which he smoked in the restroom, on the sole of his shoe.
A search of the man found no explosives, and a search of the plane with bomb-detecting dogs also turned up no explosives.
Sources told NBC News that the passenger who was subdued was a Qatari diplomat in his mid-20s who was assigned to the embassy in Washington. The man may have full diplomatic immunity.
After the pilot declared an emergency, military jets scrambled and escorted the jet into Denver, where the plane remained in a secure area, NBC affiliate WRC reported. Denver was a scheduled stop on the flight from Reagan National Airport to Las Vegas.
#1 & #2 – This is why America doesn’t profile – so that embarrassing incidents like this don’t happen. It would be smarter to train our security to detect suspicious behaviors, like the Israelis do.
I think the air marshall acted stupidly. Sorry Obama, I beat you to that comment this time.
#2 you’re right. I wouldn’t even trust the current president and glad he flies with his own plane.
mw13, i disagree, it wouldnt have been a flop simply becasue he was doing something illegal, btw, if you heard the real story you would know that when he came out of the bathroom and people saw smoke and asked him what it was, he replied by saying he was trying to light his shoe on fire.