(CNN) -- Authorities have charged a teenage boy who said he planned to hijack a commercial jetliner in an attempt to commit suicide, an FBI spokesman told CNN late Thursday.
The 16-year-old was taken into custody by airport police without incident on Tuesday evening after flying from Los Angeles, California, to Nashville, Tennessee, on Southwest Airlines Flight 284.
"His stated intent was to hijack the airplane and commit suicide," said George Bolds, an FBI spokesman in Memphis, Tennessee. "He did indicate he intended to die in Louisiana. It appears he had a ticket to Louisiana."
Bolds said the boy indicated he had lived in Louisiana.
The teen wanted to crash the plane into a Hannah Montana concert in Lafayette, Louisiana, two CNN television affiliates in Nashville, WSMV and WTVF, reported, citing unnamed sources. The concert is scheduled for Friday night at the Lafayette Cajundome.
Bolds said he had no information on whether the concert may have been targeted as part of the plot.
In the teen's possession were handcuffs, duct tape and a type of rope or yarn, according to the FBI. Authorities noted that those are not prohibited items. "His plan contemplated overpowering the flight crew," Bolds said.
The teen is being held on unspecified state charges and could face federal charges as well, Bolds said. CNN affiliate WTVF reported the teen has been charged with felony terrorism and is being held at the Davidson County juvenile detention center.
"It is my understanding that at no point in time during the course of the flight there was ever any safety concern," Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Mainz said. Bolds also said nothing threatening occurred on the flight from California to Nashville.
It was not immediately clear how police became aware of the teen's presence on the flight or his alleged suicide plans.
"Hannah Montana" is a hit Disney Channel show -- which stars 15-year-old Miley Cyrus and her country singer dad, Billy Ray Cyrus -- about a teenage girl who is a typical high-schooler by day but has a secret pop-star alter ego by night
Had his plan worked he would have killed many more than 3 thousand innocent people
This dude is stupid.
Overpowering a whole airplane full of people with handcuffs, duct tape, and a rope? Somebody's been watching a bit too many action movies.
A question was asked about this, what if the teen was a Muslim or an Arab what would have happened?
"A question was asked"....no need for the passive voice...just come out and say it. That, is, after all, the whole reason you posted this, is it not?
Here is the answer. It is all about motivation and the credibility of the threat. There is nothing here to suggest anything other than a mixed-up, probably suicidal teen. Had this been a Muslim teen with outside help, political or religious motivation and a credible plan then it would have been a big story.
Would you guys give up already on the frankly juvenile media Muslim-bashing thing?
BTW...the teen is not identified. How do you know he wasn't Muslim? Aren't you "rushing to judgement"?
Well cognescenti I don't have the habit of asking my questions in a passive voice but since it was not my question but a member on another forum I asked it as such.
But isn't it normal these days to bash Muslims? If there was no Muslim involved then it would not be news. The news above was not important enough for many because it was just another unhappy teen to them.
Well cognescenti I don't have the habit of asking my questions in a passive voice but since it was not my question but a member on another forum I asked it as such.
But isn't it normal these days to bash Muslims? If there was no Muslim involved then it would not be news. The news above was not important enough for many because it was just another unhappy teen to them.
Moon*Light
welcome to this forum
If the same were to happen in a middle eastern country, say Iraq, with a group of soldiers (american) accidentally killing a bunch of innocent civilians, rather than say, a suicide bomber in a market place, is it not bigger news? Is it not exploited by the Arab community as yet another example of American incompetence, or lack of understanding and cooperation with locals and their culture? Fact is, the US is at war with a group that justifies their political agenda with their purposed religion, they also happen to be Arab 99% of the time, thus if an Arab youth were to board a plane and try to crash and kill 3000 parents and children in the name of Islam, yes it would be bigger news because of the present day affairs. Does that not make sense?
It does not help the ummah to complain about negative publicity, because if there was not negative, there couldnt be negative publicity. IMHO, the best way to get rid of this publicity is to attempt to educate those who inquire and give up on complaining, because no one who has the power to change the news is listening, thus a complaint about it is a waste of time and brain power.
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
If you watch the news in the Middle East you will realize it has moved from complaining to it is a normal thing to view death everyday.
Second, I was not complaining rather making an observation, being a Muslim these days does single you out, if that teen was a muslim and even if he did it just because he was depressed and no politics involved the issue would have been news.
We have to realize that the media is used as a propaganda tool these days.
If you watch the news in the Middle East you will realize it has moved from complaining to it is a normal thing to view death everyday.
Second, I was not complaining rather making an observation, being a Muslim these days does single you out, if that teen was a muslim and even if he did it just because he was depressed and no politics involved the issue would have been news.
We have to realize that the media is used as a propaganda tool these days.
my apologies for wrongfully accusing you of complaining kay:
so you are saying the news of the US military admitting to mistakenly killing those civilians the other day was not news? Not bigger news than the regular view of death everyday as you stated?
Can you provide evidence that this boy was not of Arab descent or Muslim? You are speculating... The media is no doubt propoganda, the media of every country in the world is propoganda, different media outlets provide different propoganda, but where is the line drawn between propoganda and the views of an individual, or a government or a news agency? The are many sources for news, they do not all demonize Islam and Muslims, some do but not all, and anyone who has half a brain and has done any research on Islam, would know that those who commit such crimes are not acting according to their religion anyways, and those who dont know should be informed...
Salam
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
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