Man Arrested After Bomb Claim on United Flight to New Orleans

A 34-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly told crew members he had a bomb during a United Airlines flight to New Orleans, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. The plane landed safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, according to the sheriff’s office and the airline.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it plans to investigate. The man was taken into custody without incident, and the sheriff’s office has not named him.

What happened on the flight

The flight left Newark, New Jersey, and was heading for New Orleans on Monday. Late in the evening, the man began acting irrationally, the sheriff’s office said. He reportedly told crew members that he had a bomb.

The aircraft was a Boeing 737 Max 9 with 46 passengers and six crew members aboard. United Airlines said in a statement that the plane landed safely after what it called a disruptive incident involving a passenger. The airline added that law enforcement met the aircraft when it arrived.

Charges and custody

After the landing, the man was taken to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. He was booked on charges of communicating false information of planned arson and terrorizing, the sheriff’s office said.

The charges stem from what authorities say he told the crew. As with any arrest, the allegations have not been tested in court. The sheriff’s office did not release further details about the episode.

Why it matters for air travelers

Reports of a threat aboard a commercial aircraft draw an immediate response from law enforcement, and this one ended with the plane on the ground at its scheduled destination and an arrest at the airport. The FAA investigation is the next step the agency has announced. It has not said what the review will cover or how long it will take.

United said only that the aircraft landed safely and that officers were waiting for it. Neither the airline nor the sheriff’s office said whether the flight arrived on time or whether other passengers were delayed after landing.

Passengers on Monday’s Newark to New Orleans service were not reported injured, and no one else was named in the information released by the sheriff’s office.

Source: ABC News