Boston, August 16
Fighter jets escorted a London-to-Washington, DC, flight to Boston's Logan airport today after the pilot declared an emergency because an apparently claustrophobic passenger caused a disturbance.A federal security official said there was no indication of terrorism and denied reports that the woman had a screw driver, matches and a note referring to Al-Qaida.
The female passenger aboard United Flight 923 said she was claustrophobic and became very upset and got into some kind of confrontation with the flight crew, said George Naccara, federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration for Massachusetts' airport.
The disturbance coming just a week after authorities in London said they foiled a terror plot to blow up Trans-Atlantic flights was enough to concern the pilot to issue an alert, which activated two fighter jets to escort the flight into Logan.
An airport spokesman previously said the woman was carrying lotion, a screw driver and matches, but backed off the statement, and Naccara said it was not true.
State police and federal agencies took control of the plane after it
landed.
