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Thursday, June 28, 2012

U.S. Airways flight diverted due to "suspicious" passenger

A U.S. Airways flight from Paris to Charlotte, North Carolina, was diverted to an airport in Maine where it landed safely when reports of a passenger showing "suspicious behavior," U.S. officers said on Tuesday

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Two fighter jets were scrambled in response to the incident on US Airways flight 787, that landed in Bangor, Maine.

House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King said a feminine passenger, who was a French citizen born in Cameroon, handed a note to a flight attendant saying she had a surgically implanted device.

"Doctors on the flight checked her out and didn't see any sign of recent scars. the lady was born in Cameroon, was traveling alone with none checked baggage. She was visiting the U.S. for ten days," King said.

The Transportation Security Administration said during a statement that it had been "aware of reports of a passenger who exhibited suspicious behavior throughout flight" which the passenger was being interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

The airline said the flight's Boeing 767 aircraft was carrying 179 passengers and 9 crew members and landed while not incident around noon U.S. japanese time. The flight departed Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris earlier Tuesday morning.

The North yankee Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said it had scrambled 2 F-15 fighter jets in response to the incident however gave no more details.

US Airways said the opposite passengers were cleared to board the flight to travel to their original destination in North Carolina.

In another incident, the crew on another US Airways flight reported a "possible flare" when the plane was approaching the runway at Philadelphia, the airline said.

US Airways categorical Flight 4321 from Elmira, New York, with thirty four passengers and 3 crew on board, landed normally, the airline said. Philadelphia police were investigating the incident.