A man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a United Airlines flight was subdued by fellow passengers as the California-bound plane was diverted to Denver International Airport, airport officials said.
Two F-16 fighter jets from Buckley Air Force Base scrambled to escort the plane as it flew into Denver on Friday, according to Lt Commander Sean Kelly, a spokesman for NORAD.
"They followed to make sure nothing untoward was going to happen," he said.
Jose Manuel Pelayo-Ortega was arrested after the plane landed, FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.
Three Secret Service agents travelling between assignments who happened to be on the plane helped detain the passenger, said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.
After the A-320 Airbus landed, it taxied to a remote part of the airport where the passengers got off and were rushed to the terminal.
None of the 138 passengers or six crew members was injured, airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said. The flight was headed to Sacramento, California, from Chicago.
Authorities searched the aircraft for explosives and re-screened luggage and passengers before they reboarded the plane, Kelso said.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities searched the aircraft for explosives and re-screened luggage and passengers before they reboarded the plane, Kelso said.
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