F-16s scrambled to escort plane into Denver where FBI probing possible shoe-bombing attempt
By APWednesday, April 7, 2010
F-16s scrambled to escort plane into Denver
WASHINGTON — The North American Aerospace Defense Command says two F-16 jets were scrambled from a Colorado air base to intercept a plane headed into Denver’s airport Wednesday night.
A North American Aerospace spokesman, John Cornelio, says the jets from Buckley Air Force Base escorted the plane to Denver.
Federal officials initially said they were investigating whether a man on the plane may have tried to ignite explosives in his shoes. Now they’re saying it was all just a misunderstanding — the man was trying to sneak a smoke in the bathroom.
An air marshal restrained the man — a Qatari diplomat — but no explosives were found, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
(This version CORRECTS that North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled jets, not Northern Command.)
