crazygirl
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Sources say 44-year-old U.S. man claimed to have bomb in his carry-on
MIAMI - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag was shot and killed by a federal air marshal Wednesday on a jetway to an American Airlines plane that had arrived from Colombia, officials said.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said the dead passenger was a 44-year-old U.S. citizen. NBC News’ Pete Williams said an official identified the man as Rigoberto Alpizar.
It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal had shot at a passenger or suspect, he said. A witness said that the man frantically ran down the aisle of the Boeing 757 and that a woman with him said he was mentally ill.
The passenger, who indicated there was a bomb in the bag, was confronted by air marshals but ran off the aircraft, Doyle said.
The marshals pursued and ordered the passenger to get on the ground, but the man did not comply and was shot when apparently reaching into the bag, Doyle said.
NBC News confirmed that authorities searching the man’s carry-on bag did not find a bomb.
Passenger Mary Gardner told WTVJ in Miami that the man ran down the aisle from the rear of the plane. “He was frantic, his arms flailing in the air,” she said. She said a woman followed, shouting, “My husband! My husband!”
NBC said the woman’s name was Ann Buechner, and the couple, who had been married for almost 20 years, lived in Maitland, Fla.
Man reportedly bipolar
Gardner said she heard the woman say her husband was bipolar and had not had his medication.
The plane, Flight 924, had arrived from Medellin, Colombia, at 12:16 p.m. and was scheduled to depart two hours later for Orlando, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said.
“I don’t know yet if the passenger had been on the plane and was getting off, or was starting to board the aircraft,” he said.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m., suggesting passengers may have already been preparing to depart, he said. About 105 passengers scheduled to fly to Orlando, he said.
Martin Gonzalez, spokesman for Colombia’s civil aviation agency, said the flight had “left normally with no problems.”
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, praised the air marshals’ actions.
“Air marshals put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” he said. “Thanks to the efforts of an alert air marshal, an individual was prevented from causing a potentially dangerous situation on the American Airlines flight that could have harmed passengers and crew members.”
Air Marshals are trained to shoot to kill. They have the most stringent small-arms training standards among law enforcement agencies.
There were only 32 air marshals at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush administration hired thousands more afterward, though the exact number is classified.
MIAMI - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag was shot and killed by a federal air marshal Wednesday on a jetway to an American Airlines plane that had arrived from Colombia, officials said.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said the dead passenger was a 44-year-old U.S. citizen. NBC News’ Pete Williams said an official identified the man as Rigoberto Alpizar.
It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal had shot at a passenger or suspect, he said. A witness said that the man frantically ran down the aisle of the Boeing 757 and that a woman with him said he was mentally ill.
The passenger, who indicated there was a bomb in the bag, was confronted by air marshals but ran off the aircraft, Doyle said.
The marshals pursued and ordered the passenger to get on the ground, but the man did not comply and was shot when apparently reaching into the bag, Doyle said.
NBC News confirmed that authorities searching the man’s carry-on bag did not find a bomb.
Passenger Mary Gardner told WTVJ in Miami that the man ran down the aisle from the rear of the plane. “He was frantic, his arms flailing in the air,” she said. She said a woman followed, shouting, “My husband! My husband!”
NBC said the woman’s name was Ann Buechner, and the couple, who had been married for almost 20 years, lived in Maitland, Fla.
Man reportedly bipolar
Gardner said she heard the woman say her husband was bipolar and had not had his medication.
The plane, Flight 924, had arrived from Medellin, Colombia, at 12:16 p.m. and was scheduled to depart two hours later for Orlando, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said.
“I don’t know yet if the passenger had been on the plane and was getting off, or was starting to board the aircraft,” he said.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m., suggesting passengers may have already been preparing to depart, he said. About 105 passengers scheduled to fly to Orlando, he said.
Martin Gonzalez, spokesman for Colombia’s civil aviation agency, said the flight had “left normally with no problems.”
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, praised the air marshals’ actions.
“Air marshals put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” he said. “Thanks to the efforts of an alert air marshal, an individual was prevented from causing a potentially dangerous situation on the American Airlines flight that could have harmed passengers and crew members.”
Air Marshals are trained to shoot to kill. They have the most stringent small-arms training standards among law enforcement agencies.
There were only 32 air marshals at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush administration hired thousands more afterward, though the exact number is classified.
