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THE SUSPECT, IDENTIFIED as Richard Reid, was taken into custody by the FBI. Officials said he was traveling on a British passport.
“I’m told the flight attendant was drawn to him by the smell of sulfur from a lit match, and then challenged the individual as to what he was doing,” said Thomas Kinton, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport, which runs Logan International Airport.
A flight attendant intervened after the man tried to light his shoe on fire, and the 6-foot-4 suspect resisted and bit her, Massport spokeswoman Laura White said. He was identified as being 28 years old.
Kinton said at a news conference that the jet’s crew prevented “something serious” from taking place. He said they “tackled” the passenger, though “the flight attendants were hurt during this, and yelled for help from other passengers and received that help from other passengers on board the aircraft.”
POWERFUL EXPLOSIVES
Passengers subdued him, strapping and belting him into a seat in row 29 of the plane. Two doctors used the airplane’s onboard medical kit to sedate him, and the man’s shoe, which had protruding wires, was removed. Officials said the man was sedated a total of three times before landing.
The flight, identified as American Flight 63, landed in Boston at 12:50 p.m. with police, fire and bomb squads standing by.
“They X-rayed the shoe and found that in the heel, there were holes drilled, and there looked to be a detonator wire, and the substances consistent with (the explosive) C-4,” White said.
The shoe was taken from the plane, rendered harmless and taken to an FBI laboratory for analysis, White said.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were assigned to assess the material on the plane; they cautioned that they could not confirm exactly what the material was, though local officials had already described it as C-4.
C-4, a powerful plastic explosive, is primarily used by the military. Usually sold in clay-like bars, it is often lightly colored and appears like a putty, making it easy to mold into almost any shape. When ignited, it releases a powerful blast. It cannot be detected by a metal detector, though some newer equipment in airports is able to detect explosive material.
‘BOGUS’ PASSPORT
White said Reid’s passport, issued in Belgium three weeks ago, was “questionable.” He boarded the plane without luggage or additional identification.
Federal officials believed the passport “looks bogus,” Kinton said.
The suspect appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, officials said, though his real name and background did not appear to be available yet. An FBI spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that it was working with the Massachusetts state police to investigate.
Reid was being interrogated at the airport by the FBI. The other passengers were also being questioned, White said.
The FBI’s Kim McAllister confirmed that one man was being held in FBI custody for “interference with a flight crew,” but had not been arrested.
The intervention on the flight “appeared to have prevented something very serious from occurring,” Kinton said.
A spokeswoman for Britain’s Foreign Office, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said, “We are seeking normal consular access as we would with any U.K. citizen.”