FBI seeks Alaska Airline hijack hoax caller

Honolulu, HI, United States (4E) – The FBI in Hawaii has turned its investigation into the anonymous Honolulu caller who claimed that a passenger of Alaska Airlines bound for Seattle on Thursday was a possible hijacker.

The call turned out to be a hoax as the alleged hijacker was cleared as a security check after questioning by FBI agents when the Alaska Airlines Flight 819 coming from Kona landed at the Sea-Tac International Airport. The man was very cooperative and was not adversarial, according to FBI agent Tom Simon.

The male passenger also slept during the flight and never exhibited a threatening behavior during the flight, a spokesman of Alaska Airlines said.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command dispatched two F-15 fighter jets from Portland to escort the plane after the FBI received the hijack threat call.

Simon said charges could be filed against the caller for lying.

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