Jewish teen’s prayers spark jet security scare
Flight is diverted after religious item is mistaken for a bomb, police say NBC, msnbc.com and news services updated 54 minutes ago
PHILADELPHIA - A U.S. Airways jet was diverted to Philadelphia International Airport Thursday after a praying Jewish man's religious item was mistaken for a bomb, police said.
There were initial reports that a man may have been wired with "a device" and FBI and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials and a police bomb squad all attended.
However, when authorities boarded Flight 3079 from LaGuardia Airport to Louisville, they established there was no bomb on board.
Government sources also said the 17-year-old passenger had been "praying loudly" and that the flight was diverted out of an "abundance of caution."
'Some kind of device'
Officials said another passenger had become alarmed by seeing the teen's phylacteries — boxes containing verses from the Bible which observant Jews strap around their arms and heads as part of morning prayers.
"Someone on the plane construed it as some kind of device," said Christine O'Brien, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Police Department.
A man was escorted off the plane by law enforcement officers while the other passengers also disembarked. O'Brien confirmed that no one had been arrested and no one had been charged.
Senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that they believe the man was a "nervous flier" and said they did not believe the incident was related to terrorism.
The passengers were due to fly to Louisville on a different plane. It was unclear whether the man wearing the phylacteries would be among them.
In a statement, the TSA said: "At approximately 8.30 a.m. EST, the Transportation Security Administration was notified of a disruptive passenger onboard Chautauqua Airlines, U.S. Airways Express flight 3079 from New York LaGuardia Airport to Louisville International Airport.
"The plane was diverted to Philadelphia International Airport, where it landed without incident at approximately 8.50 a.m. EST.
"The disruptive passenger was interviewed, the plane was swept with negative findings."