“… Mr Eddington also revealed how a nervous passenger sparked a false alarm at Heathrow after overhearing what was thought to be a hijack plan discussed.
False alarm
He said the alert in October came after the flight’s captain told Air Traffic Control a passenger had heard a man on board say to another : “Is this the right time?”
His companion replied: “We’ve been planning this for six months, let’s do it.”
The first said “Sure?” and the second said: “Let’s do it now.”
Mr Eddington said: “A nervous flyer sitting behind the men overheard them, became alarmed, alerted the crew and the incident escalated”.
Two Tornado fighter jets were scrambled to Heathrow airport amid fears the incoming service from Baltimore faced a hijack attempt.
But it was a false alarm -the father and son were discussing a family reunion with a long lost aunt.
“Some red faces ensued, but all ended well,” said Mr Eddington. ..”
By: steve rowell - 14th January 2004 at 03:09
It’s good they had the fortitude to inform someone
By: T5 - 13th January 2004 at 23:59
It’s quite funny really. Anyone would have thought the same thing, assuming that a terrorist attack was about to happen!
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January 13, 2004 at 11:54 pm