FBI probing man who made threat
OMAHA, Neb. — The Las Vegas division of the FBI is investigating a man who made a threat that prompted an airplane flight to be diverted to Omaha last weekend.
No arrest has been made, but the bureau plans to file a complaint with the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Vegas, FBI spokesman Dave Staretz said Friday.
A Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Connecticut was diverted to Omaha on Saturday night so that the aircraft could be searched for explosives. None was found, and the plane continued on to Hartford about three hours later.
Staretz said a Las Vegas man was prevented from boarding Flight 1018 because he was intoxicated, according to interviews with workers with Southwest Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration. The man was escorted outside the terminal, Staretz said, and he later called the airline to ask about his luggage.
“At that point, he mentioned a bomb on the plane,” Staretz said. The flight was in the air when the threat was made, he said.
Staretz said the man could face five years in prison, a fine or both if convicted.