Passenger with box cutters on Frontier Airlines flight prompts emergency landing: TSA - ABC News

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A rider connected a Frontier Airlines formation who allegedly boarded the level with 2 container cutters and was seen acting erratically was taken into custody aft an exigency landing Friday night, according to the hose and the Transportation Security Administration.

Several passengers connected the flight, including subject veterans and a erstwhile instrumentality enforcement officer, helped unit members subdue the antheral aft they landed, according to eyewitnesses.

The formation was en way to Tampa from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport erstwhile it was diverted to Atlanta "after a rider connected committee the craft was observed successful possession of a container cutter," Frontier said successful a statement.

Bystander footage captures constabulary escorting a rider disconnected a Frontier Airlines formation aft it made an exigency landing astatine Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Nov. 11, 2022.

TSA said successful a connection connected Saturday that the level was diverted astir 9:30 p.m. "after a disturbance involving a disruptive passenger, successful possession of a container cutter was declared." Following a search, a 2nd container cutter was recovered successful the unidentified passenger's carry-on, according to TSA.

Atlanta constabulary assisted national partners successful detaining the suspect, Atlanta Police Department spokesperson Officer John Predmore said. Predmore directed further questions to the FBI, which is starring the investigation.

The FBI declined to remark and alternatively referred ABC News to the TSA statement.

No injuries to passengers oregon unit person been reported, the hose said. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is besides investigating, said the level landed safely "after the unit declared an exigency owed to an unruly passenger."

Before the exigency landing, aggregate passengers noticed the antheral acting erratically, eyewitnesses said.

Passenger Ben Mutz told ABC News helium spoke to the idiosyncratic who was successful the model spot adjacent to the antheral aft they deplaned. The rider told Mutz that the antheral "flashed a container weapon astatine maine and said, 'I privation to termination oregon I privation to stab people,'" Mutz said.

Larry Cumberbatch was seated successful the 3rd row, flying from Cincinnati to Tampa to sojourn his lad for his birthday. He told ABC News that a pistillate who was initially sitting successful an aisle spot adjacent to the antheral reported seeing "some benignant of knife" and was acrophobic for her safety.

Flight attendants asked if anyone had immoderate subject oregon constabulary inheritance and would power seats oregon spell to the backmost of the plane, helium said. Cumberbatch, a Navy veteran, volunteered to power seats with the woman, helium said.

At the backmost of the plane, Cumberbatch recovered the antheral leaning against the window-seat rider with his feet up successful the aisle seat, earlier getting up to spell to the bathroom.

When the antheral exited the bathroom, helium confronted Cumberbatch successful the aisle, successful what Cumberbatch described arsenic a "showdown."

"People backmost there, you could virtually spot they’re afraid. So that’s wherefore I stood there, to springiness them a calming beingness and fto this feline cognize there’s idiosyncratic watching, idiosyncratic who you volition person to woody with if you instrumentality it to the adjacent level," Cumberbatch said.

Cumberbatch said a erstwhile instrumentality enforcement subordinate talked to the antheral during the landing to calm him down.

Once the level touched down, passengers were told to permission without taking immoderate of their belongings, according to Mutz. He said helium and others were unaware they had made an exigency landing until they turned connected their phones and realized they were successful Atlanta.

Cumberbatch and an Army seasoned remained connected the level portion the erstwhile serviceman helped escort the antheral down the aisle, helium said. When constabulary officers arrived, the antheral "got agitated" and the erstwhile serviceman gave him a informing earlier tackling him, Cumberbatch said.

"In my mind, helium was truly the leader close astatine that moment," Cumberbatch said.

The antheral was past taken into custody by police, according to Cumberbatch, who said helium spoke to FBI agents pursuing the incident.

Cumberbatch said helium "wasn't surprised" that veterans responded successful the moment.

"We're going to instrumentality power of immoderate concern that we're in," helium said.

The passengers connected the formation were provided edifice accommodations and rebooked connected a caller formation to Tampa connected Saturday morning.

Box cutters are banned successful the cabin, but allowed successful checked luggage.

TSA said it is conducting an interior reappraisal of the incidental and volition analyse surveillance footage and "airport information checkpoint processes/operations."

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