BWI Passengers Tense After Security Threat Over The Weekend

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Tense moments for airline passengers. Fighter jets were scrambled twice over the weekend and a plane even had to be diverted from BWI because of a threat.

Mary Bubala has the latest.

The rhythm at BWI was back to normal Monday after several incidents both here and across the nation.

At New York's JFK Airport, security swarmed an American Airlines flight after three passengers made repeated trips to the bathroom.

"They were very alarmed, said, `We need everybody to remain seated. Do not get up,'" said one passenger.

Law enforcement interviewed the three passengers and later said it was not terror-related. It was the air marshals on board who directed the F-16s.

In Detroit, a Frontier Airlines flight landed with an ominous message from the captain.

"He said, `Don't move. There will be consequences,'" said a passenger. "Guys came on with machine guns, told us to keep our heads down and they hauled off three people in cuffs."

Two male and a female passenger were behaving suspiciously and two of them had spent an extraordinarily long time in a bathroom, according to the flight crew. Two more F-16s were scrambled in an abundance of caution. The plane was searched and authorities say the threat was not terror-related.

At Dulles Airport, several gates were evacuated after a suspicious item was found. Bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing wrong.

At BWI Thurgood Marshall, a Southwest flight headed to Baltimore had to be diverted because someone on board was acting suspiciously. The plane detoured to Nashville and the passenger did not continue on the flight to Baltimore. Authorities say this threat was also not terror-related.

In all, there were five separate airplane-related terror scares during the 9/11 anniversary weekend. There were also a handful of bomb threats across the country.