TSA: Authorities interview unruly passengers after flight lands in Detroit; no arrests made

TSA: Unruly Northwest flight passengers questioned

ROMULUS, Mich. — Unruly passengers on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit were interviewed by Customs and Border Protection officials after the plane landed Tuesday, but no arrests were made, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The disturbance came less than a week after a Nigerian man pleaded not guilty to trying to blow up a Northwest flight from Amsterdam as it was preparing to land in Detroit on Christmas. That near-catastrophe led to increased security measures at airports around the world.

Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Susan Elliott said the crew of Northwest Flight 243 requested that authorities meet the plane Tuesday after it landed because four passengers didn’t follow their instructions. She said nobody was injured but wouldn’t describe what the passengers were doing.

Passenger Katrina Leech, 16, of Lansing, said the plane was at the gate in Detroit when the pilot came over the loudspeaker and instructed everyone to stay in their seats with their seat belts on and not get up for any reason. Two men seated behind her who appeared to be air marshals rushed toward the front of the plane about the same time.

Passengers waited 25 to 30 minutes before they were allowed to get off the plane, Leech said.

“Me and all the passengers around me were just wondering what was going on because we heard about the terrorist attack a few weeks ago. We were just all worried and happy to get off the flight safely,” she said.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport spokesman Mike Conway said airport officials had no information about the nature of the disturbance because the incident was under Customs and Border Protection jurisdiction.