A 27-year-old Allegiant Air passenger is under FBI investigation and facing federal charges after allegedly claiming his laptop was a “bomb”, forcing a Sunday flight to make an emergency landing in Florida, USA Today reported.
According to an FBI affidavit as per, USA Today, Taj Malik Taylor was seated in the last row of Allegiant Air Flight 1023, which had just departed from St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport en route to Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, when he turned to a nearby passenger and said, “My laptop is a bomb.”
Startled, the passengers reportedly asked Taylor what he meant. Taylor then lifted his laptop case and continued to repeat that it was a bomb, according to the affidavit. Several passengers overheard the statement and immediately alerted flight attendants.
“The passenger immediately notified the flight attendants,” USA Today quoted Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. “Detectives say several other witnesses on the plane also heard Taylor state that he had a bomb.”
Allegiant confirmed the plane landed safely back in St. Petersburg at around 2 pm and Taylor was taken into custody. “Allegiant does not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, so the decision was made to return to the airport,” the airline told USA Today.
A law enforcement response was initiated for what was categorized as a “verbal bomb threat.” K9 units searched Taylor’s belongings, but no explosives were found.
Taylor later told authorities he had recently been discharged from a mental health facility and was experiencing “a lack of clarity,” despite having taken his medication the night before.
Story continues below this ad
As per a report by USA Today, the FBI said Taylor is being charged with making a false bomb threat, a federal offense punishable by up to five years in prison, a $25,000 fine, or both. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
Following the incident, all passengers and crew were deplaned while the aircraft was searched. The flight eventually resumed and landed in Roanoke nearly five hours behind schedule.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers and thank them for their patience,” Allegiant said in a statement. “As a gesture of goodwill, we will be issuing $100 vouchers to each itinerary, to be used for future travel.”
This latest disruption adds to a spate of recent in-flight security scares. Just last week, an American Airlines flight was diverted after a passenger misinterpreted a fellow traveler’s text message as a threat. In May, a US military member aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight was arrested after falsely claiming he had a bomb.
