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Two US flights divert over security scares

Crime & justiceCrime
Key Points
  • Southwest Airlines Flight 2094 diverted to Atlanta due to a passenger's phone timer for Ramadan prayer, later deemed a misunderstanding with no threat found.
  • United Airlines Flight 2092 diverted to Pittsburgh due to a beeping sound treated as a bomb threat, with full evacuation and sweep finding nothing.
  • Both incidents occurred over the weekend, involved FBI and police responses, and resulted in no charges or credible threats.

' The incident involved a passenger who had set a phone timer to remind him to pray during Ramadan. After the safe landing in Atlanta just after 9pm, officers from the Atlanta Police Department removed the passenger from the plane. The FBI and Atlanta Police Department investigated and interviewed passengers early Saturday morning, finding no credible threat and no charges will be filed.

Southwest Airlines stated it made the decision to divert to Atlanta out of an abundance of caution due to what turned out to be a misunderstanding of a customer’s behavior. United Airlines Flight 2092 from Chicago O’Hare to New York LaGuardia diverted to Pittsburgh airport on Saturday morning due to a reported 'beeping sound' on board, which pilots treated as a potential bomb threat. Pittsburgh’s FBI branch was aware of a 'reported threat' on board a flight headed to New York, which was diverted to Pittsburgh.

We’ve got an issue up here. We’re getting a sequential beeping of a suspected item on board. We are going to have to start treating this as a potential bomb.

Pilot, United Airlines pilot

All passengers and crew on United Flight 2092 were evacuated via emergency slides at Pittsburgh airport. An FBI bomb squad and the Allegheny County police bomb squad conducted a sweep of the aircraft, passengers, and luggage and found nothing, so the incident was cleared. Passengers were rebooked on another plane and departed Pittsburgh at 4:24pm ET.

The specific behavior by the passenger on Southwest Flight 2094 that led to the initial 'possible security matter' description remains unclear, as does the source of the beeping sound on United Flight 2092 and why it was not found during the sweep. It is unknown whether there is any connection or pattern between these two separate flight diversions on consecutive days, and the identity and current status of the passenger removed from Southwest Flight 2094 have not been disclosed.

It’s a beeping noise, sequential, one beep per second.

Pilot, United Airlines pilot

It’s underneath the door, it’s underneath the floorboards.

Pilot, United Airlines pilot
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Two US flights divert over security scares | Reed News