MIAMI (Dec. 7) - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag was shot by a federal air marshal Wednesday on a jetway connected to an American Airlines plane that had just arrived from Colombia, officials said.
CNN
An air marshall shot a passenger in a confrontation on the jetway, officials said.
Broadcast news outlets reported the passenger was killed.
A witness said the man frantically ran down the aisle and a woman with him said he was mentally ill.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said after the plane had parked at the gate, a passenger indicated there was a bomb in the bag. The passenger was confronted by air marshals but ran off the plane, Doyle said.
A team of air marshals pursued and ordered the passenger to get on the ground. The passenger did not comply and was shot when apparently reaching into a bag, Doyle said.
The plane, Flight 924, had just arrived from Medellin, Colombia, and was headed on to Orlando.
Airport and Miami-Dade County police officials said they had no immediate comment. American Airlines officials confirmed the shooting was on a jetway.
“All I know is that it was on the jet bridge, outside the aircraft,” American 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.”
Martin Gonzalez, spokesman for Colombia’s civil aviation agency, said the flight “left normally with no problems.”
He said he did not have a list of passengers who were aboard the plane.
They never really clarify if he was mentally ill or if he was really a threat.
I guess we can read that as meaning he was mentally ill. If he had a bomb, it would have said, “Terrorist Shot by Air Marshal”
So I revise my original post. Not Good. Lesson learned. Don’t fuck around with an air marshal.