Unruly Passenger Disrupts Another Amsterdam-to-Detroit Flight

No one was hurt on the flight, which was carrying 255 passengers.

The man was Nigerian, as was Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old who unsuccessfully tried to ignite an explosive device on a Northwest plane on Friday. Amsterdam is an air hub for travelers from Nigeria headed for other destinations.

The flight crew became concerned when the passenger, a businessman, locked himself in the plane's bathroom for an hour. Abdulmutallab had also spent a long time in the bathroom before returning to his seat, complaining of an upset stomach and pulling a blanket over his head just before trying to set off his explosion. However, officials said today's passenger was legitimately ill.

"This raised concerns so an alert was raised," FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said. "The investigation shows that this was a non-serious incident and all is clear at this point."

The second incident on Northwest Flight 253 in three days came as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other officials sought to reassure the public about the safety of flying and moved to ramp up security measures at airports.

The TSA said, "The flight landed safely at Detroit International Airport at approximately 12:35 pm eastern time without incident. The aircraft has been moved to a remote location for additional screening. TSA and law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival, the passenger is now in custody."


Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Sara Kuban offered some details. "A passenger on today's Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit spent an unusually long time in the aircraft lavatory," she said. "Due to this unusual behavior, the airline notified TSA and the agency directed the flight to taxi to a remote area upon landing to be met by law enforcement and DHS. The passenger in question, a Nigerian national, was removed from the flight and interviewed by the FBI; indications at this time are that the individual's behavior is due to legitimate illness, and no other suspicious behavior or materials have been found. Though this does not appear at this time to be a security incident, in an abundance of caution, the aircraft was fully screened, with negative results, and all baggage is being rescreened before the aircraft taxis to the gate."

In Hawaii, where President Obama is vacationing with his family, White House spokesman William Burton said, "The president was notified shortly after 9:00 a.m. Hawaiian time of the incident regarding an unruly passenger on the flight arriving in Detroit by NSS [National Security Council] chief of staff Denis McDonough. The president stressed the importance of maintaining heightened security measures for all air travel and gave instructions to set up another secure teleconference briefing as soon as possible."