Earlier this week, an Alaska Airlines (ALK) -) flight from Atlanta to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing after one of the passengers handed a flight attendant a note saying that he had "several pounds of homemade explosives" in his carry-on bag.
While the Boeing 737 Max (BA) -) plane was less than an hour outside of Seattle's main airport, the airline chose to make an emergency landing in nearby Spokane due to what it saw as a "direct threat to the safety of our aircraft [and] to one of our flight attendants." Spokane's International Airport also shut down its runways to prepare for its arrival.
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The passenger alleged to have made the threat, 38-year-old Brandon Scott, was then promptly arrested and led off the plane in handcuffs.
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Court Documents Tell a Harrowing Story
Later documents filed in U.S. District Court report Scott claiming that he made the threat in order to divert the plane and escape members of the international Sinaloa Cartel who he thought were waiting for him upon the plane's arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
After a bomb squad found no explosives on Scott's body or belongings, he told investigators that he made the threat in order to get arrested and escape the "powerful cartel" planning to kill him.
"This is not a joke," read the note that Scott allegedly handed over to the flight attendant. "[...] Pretend there is some sort of equipment problem or whatever you have to do. Just get this plane rerouted. Failure to comply will cost the lives of everyone on this plane."
The note also allegedly asks for the plane to be rerouted to almost "any other airport."
Based on his confession, Scott now faces a charge related to plane safety-related false information and hoaxes. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
While the landing was done without alerting passengers of what was going on as is custom, Alaska Airlines later confirmed the incident and thanked everyone on the plane for "their patience and understanding during this situation."
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"We appreciate their patience and understanding during this situation. We are working to get them to Seattle, their original destination, as quickly as possible," said Alaska Airlines. "We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our flight attendants and pilots throughout this incident."
"We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our flight attendants and pilots throughout this incident," the airline said while adding that it was working to get the stranded passengers to Seattle as quickly as possible. Spokane borders Idaho and is approximately a four-hour drive or 45-minute flight from Seattle.
Two days earlier, a similar incident occurred when a Southwest Airlines (LUV) -) flight from Las Vegas to Miami was forced to make an emergency landing in Oakland, California after a passenger sent a flight attendant a bomb threat over the iPhone's AirDrop.
The pilot initially told the plane full of passengers that they were forced to make a landing due to a mechanical issue with the aircraft (this is custom protocol done in order to diffuse the situation and avoid sowing panic) but, after the plane came to a stop, sheriff's officers came aboard to detain and arrest the suspect.
