A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Seattle allegedly threatened crewmembers that he would blow up the plane unless they diverted it to another airport, claiming he was trying to escape a Mexican drug cartel, according to court documents.
Brandon L Scott, 38, was arrested on 5 July, after he handed a threatening note to a flight attendant outlining his demands.
“There is a bomb on the plane,” the note read, according to police. “This is not a joke. Several pounds of homemade explosives are in my carry on bag. I have a detonator with me. Handle this matter carefully and exactly how I say, otherwise I will detonate the explosives and kill everyone on board. You are to alert the pilot to this note and keep the issue to yourself. Many innocent lives are in your hands, do as I demand and everyone will live. Deviate and the consequences will be deadly for all of us. I have nothing left to lose.”
“Pretend there is some sort of equipment problem or whatever you have to do,” the note added. “Just get this plane rerouted. Failure to comply will cost the lives of everyone on this plane.”
Witnesses say they caught wind of the alleged threat.
“The captain came over and said, ‘I can’t say much, but a guy in first class told the flight attendants that if we hand in Seattle, he has a bomb, and that he’s going to let it off if we land in Seattle,” one witnessed described, according to KIRO 7.
Crewmembers told the captain about the bomb threat, who alerted Air Traffic Control and Alaska Airlines.
The flight was diverted to land in Spokane, where Mr Scott was arrested upon landing and the Spokane Police Department bomb squad searched the plane, not finding any explosives onboard.
A man is lead away in handcuffs on 5 July, 2023, at the Spokane, Washington, airport after allegedly making a bomb threat— (KIRO 7 screengrab)
The airport was temporarily shut down as a result of the threat.
“I just got back from a long trip and I have nothing right now except my wallet and my phone,” a passenger told KXLY of the experience. “The pilot said, ‘Hey, the plane is fine, they checked it out, we’re good.’ And we’re like, ‘Why is a dude getting arrested?’ and then it was like, ‘Why are we deboarding?’”
Mr Scott, who doesn’t have a lawyer listed in court records, was charged with conveying false information and could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, The Daily Beast reported.
“Scott told law enforcement he was being targeted by the Sinaloa Cartel,” according to the criminal complaint against the 38-year-old. “Scott stated members of the Cartel were waiting for him to land in Seattle in order to torture and kill Scott.”
“Scott stated he did not think of a more reasonable approach such as contacting law enforcement personnel at the airport to ask for help or assistance,” the complaint adds.
The plane had 177 passengers and six crew members when the threat took place.
“We appreciate their patience and understanding during this situation,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement about the incident.
