A United Airlines flight heading to New Jersey was forced to return to Las Vegas after a passenger was found sending explicit messages threatening an act of terrorism. The accused, identified as 25-year-old Dante Milne, wrote in a message on his mobile device that he was “gonna hijack” this plane, adding that he would “crash ur row only”.
United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737, was carrying 150 passengers and six crew members from Harry Reid International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday (Oct 24) when a flight attendant noticed Milne sending the threatening messages, shortly before takeoff.
Though it is not clear who was intended to receive the message, the crew member did not engage with Milne. Instead, they quickly alerted the pilot, who subsequently escalated the situation.
“The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft. They called me. We went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas,” the flight’s pilot told an air traffic controller shortly after the plane took off, according to a report in CBS News.
The controller inquired whether the passenger was cooperative or under restraint, to which the pilot replied that the traveller showed “no restraint” because he was unaware.
Flight tracking data showed that the plane was airborne for less than an hour before it returned to the airport around 11:05 pm local time.
After the landing, Milne was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas on felony charges of making threats or conveying false information regarding an act of terrorism.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement, highlighting that the aircraft had safely landed in Las Vegas and that an investigation was underway.
“United Airlines Flight 1681 returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 11:05 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 24, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance,” the FAA said.
