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An Alaska Airlines flight from Kona, Hawaii to Seattle was escorted into Sea-Tac airport by two F-15 fighter jets Thursday evening after an anonymous caller told the FBI a man onboard the flight was a hijacker.

'No laughing matter': Reported hijacker on Seattle flight a hoax

BY Brandi Kruse  on January 18, 2013 @ 2:54 pm (Updated: 3:14 pm - 1/18/13 )

Federal officials say the report of a hijacker onboard an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Seattle was a hoax.

Flight 819 from Kona, Hawaii was escorted into Sea-Tac airport by two F-15 fighter jets from the Oregon National Guard after an anonymous caller to the FBI field office in Honolulu said a man on the flight was planning to take passengers hostage.

The flight landed safely at 7:05 PST and was met by officials from the FBI, the Port of Seattle and the Transportation Security Administration.

A man onboard was taken into custody and a K-9 unit was brought in to search the plane for explosives.

The man, who had been named specifically by the caller, was questioned and released around 10:20 p.m.

"The individual that was taken off the flight and questioned by the FBI last night was definitely not a hijacker," said Special Agent Tom Simon with the FBI in Honolulu. "He was very cooperative, he answered all of our questions, and he was every bit as dismayed as we were why somebody would have made that type of call to the FBI."

Simon said the FBI will turn their focus to the caller, who could face up to five years in a federal prison.

"Making a crank call to the FBI is not like ordering a pizza to your neighbor as a practical joke," he said. "It's no laughing matter."

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (4)


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  • flipper wrote...
    So...
    January 18, 2013 3:45 pm
    ...should I now be calling the FBI for a Pizza?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    @flipper
    January 18, 2013 4:27 pm
    go ahead
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    ...should I now be calling the FBI for a Pizza? -
    January 18, 2013 4:50 pm
    lets ask zero-zero!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    Sandy Hook was also a Hoax.
    January 18, 2013 10:56 pm
    Imagine that. Makes you wonder about the news dosen't it?.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }