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Jets Scrambled To Escort Flights To New York And Detroit

Update at 6:50 p.m: Nerves are on edge for the nation's travelers on the 10th Anniversary of Sept. 11. And authorities are taking any perceived threat very seriously. On two different occasions today, suspicious passengers caused authorities to spring into action.

First two jets were scrambled to escort a New York bound filight, then NORAD scrambled two more jets to escort a flight headed to Detroit.

Our Original post:

NORAD scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to escort an American Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to New York, today, after three passengers locked themselves in a bathroom and refused to come out.

The AP reports:

Flight 34 landed safely after 4 p.m. Sunday. The nature of the incident was unclear but a law enforcement official says it isn't thought to be terrorism.

NBC New York reports the airplane landed at New York's JFK airport safely and that the jets were sent "out of an abundance of caution."

Update at 5:12 p.m. ET. Air Marshals Aboard:

ABC News reports federal air marshals were aboard flight 34 and were able to resolve the situation. Quoting unnamed security officials, ABC News reports:

The precaution turned out to be unnecessary as federal air marshals aboard flight 34 from Los Angeles to JFK were able to resolve the situation when the passengers complied with their instructions, police officials said. The pilot then radioed that the situation was under control and the plane landed safely.

Update at 6:54 p.m. ET. Detroit Incident:

The AP reports that police waited for a Frontier Airlines flight that landed in Detroit's Metro Airport. Three passengers were taken into custody after the flight crew reported they were taking a long time in the bathroom.

The flight landed safely.

Update at 9:29 p.m. ET. NORAD Scrambled Jets For Detroit Flight:

The Detroit Free Press reports that NORAD scrambled two jets to escort the Frontier Airlines flight to Detroit. The Free Press reports that one of the passengers on board said the plane stopped outside the gate and was boarded by a SWAT team that told all the passengers to put their hands on the seat rest in front of them.

Police found nothing on board, but they arrested three.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.