Fighter Jets Shadow N.Y. Flight
An Air India jetliner carrying 397 people was shadowed by fighter jets to New York on Thursday after authorities were told there was a suspicious passenger aboard. It turned out to be a false alarm.
Flight 101 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport from London without incident. Two passengers were questioned and released, and FBI spokesman Joseph Valiquette said they were of “no investigative interest.”
A U.S. official in Washington, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said authorities were told that a passenger resembled one of the 22 people on the FBI’s “most-wanted terrorists” list.
The list includes several senior Al Qaeda figures and others believed to have carried out the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings.
The flight, which had 378 passengers and 19 crew members, was shadowed by Canadian fighters over the Atlantic, government officials said. U.S. fighter jets took over the duty in American airspace.
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