FBI Search Delays Turkey-Bound Jet
Federal agents delayed the takeoff of a flight to Turkey on Tuesday after receiving word that one of the passengers may have been a security threat.
All of the passengers on the Delta Air Lines flight to Istanbul were asked to get off the plane as a security sweep was conducted. Six passengers were questioned, and one man was detained.
“As far as the terrorism concern, all of that has been resolved,” FBI agent Tom Bush said. “We have not been able to connect him to any terroristic group.”
Bush said the agency had received information about the man earlier in the day as “a potential threat to national security.” He said the man was not under arrest, but he was not free to go.
About 241 passengers were leaving from Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport on the direct flight to Istanbul when the FBI boarded the jet at 6 p.m. to began its sweep.
Bush said agents found nothing to indicate that the public was in imminent danger, but, “there are other law enforcement issues that still need to be resolved.”
He did not elaborate.
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