CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The FBI says “there is no continuing threat” after a passenger made a verbal bomb threat aboard a plane that was taxiing to land. Law enforcement responded to the threat as a security incident.
The passenger, who hasn’t been identified yet, made the threat aboard a Frontier Airlines landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Sunday, Frontier Airlines said.
Passengers walk us through “stressful” situation, on Channel 2 Action News This Morning starting at 4:30 a.m.
The threat was made on Flight 2539 from Columbus, Ohio, to Atlanta, Frontier Airlines confirmed. As a precaution, the aircraft parked at a remote location while law enforcement responded.
Passengers who were aboard the plane talked to Channel 2’s Cory James about what they saw and heard.
One passenger said she was in Row 10 and heard the unruly passenger say something about a bomb.
“It was stressful,” the passenger said.
“The flight attendants started saying, ‘Heads down, hands up, heads down, hands up,” passenger Jessica Kinder said.
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Video taken by another passenger and posted on social media shows the frantic moments after flight attendants repeatedly told the unruly passenger to take his seat.
“Sit down, sit down and then the guy started saying the f word,” Kinder said. “He was texting the guy behind me. They were sending voice messages back and forth. You heard them what were they saying in French, so yeah, so I didn’t know.”
Keyaira Smith was also on the plane.
“He kept standing. The pilot told him, flight attendants, to sit down,” Smith said. “He said that he was going to threaten or kill the flight attendants.”
Smith told Channel 2 Action News she remembers seeing the man before they took off.
“He was already erratic then, but I guess they let him on the plane,” she said.
Upon landing, passengers had to use the air stairs to deplane, and were bussed to the terminal.
Atlanta police took part in the security response to the “unruly passenger“ and what was determined to be a non-credible threat.
“It is not being treated as a hijacking at this time,” APD said.
Atlanta PD said the FBI is handling in the investigation.
In a statement, the FBI said there is no threat to the public, and the decision hasn’t yet been made to charge the passenger.
FBI Georgia responded, along with Atlanta Police, this afternoon after a flight from Columbus to Atlanta was disrupted by an unruly passenger. All passengers and crew were taken off the aircraft. The FBI can assure the traveling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident. The FBI and Atlanta Police are currently conducting interviews to gather the facts, and the FBI will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia to determine if federal charges will be filed.
— FBI GEORGIA
In addition to the bomb threat reported on the Frontier Airlines plane, APD says it responded to a bomb threat at State Farm Arena Sunday at around 6:15 p.m.
Officers swept the stadium and surrounding area and determined the threat wasn’t credible.
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