Man arrested for security threat onboard aircraft at Seattle airport

The Brief

• Six flights were canceled, and two others diverted on Saturday after airline officials say a pblockenger made threats on a flight at SEA Airport.

• The FAA announced a ground stop at the Seattle airport for most of the afternoon.

• All pblockengers on the Alaskan Airlines flight were safely deplaned, while the suspect was taken into custody.

SEATTLE – Pblockengers were impacted by delays at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday due to a ground stop over security concerns, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

What we know

One person was taken into custody as pblockengers were taken off the plane and sent back into the terminal with additional security screening, according to airport officials. At the time of the incident, there were 68 pblockengers and four crew members on board.

All flights heading to SEA Airport were ordered to be held at their origin, according to FlightAware. The FAA reported increasing gate hold and taxi delays heading into the afternoon. Authorities set the ground stop expiration for 2:45 p.m.

Vehicles with flashing lights and other commercial vehicles could be seen gathered behind a plane on the tarmac at around 1:40 p.m.

Statement from Alaska Airlines following a security incident at SEA Airport on June 14

“There was a security incident this afternoon involving Alaska Airlines Flight 2123 operated by Horizon Air from Seattle to Walla Walla, Washington. During taxi to the runway, a guest made a direct threat to the safety of the aircraft to one of our flight attendants. Our crew members followed their procedures and secured the aircraft on a runway away from the airport…We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our crew throughout this incident and appreciate our guests’ patience and understanding,” read a statement, in part, from the airline on Saturday afternoon.

Port Police and Fire officials say an investigation is underway after there was an issue with a plane on the runway. Two runways at the airport shut down on June 14. One runway remained open.

What we don’t know

Heading into Saturday evening, transportation officials have not released details about the specific nature of the reported threats on board an Alaska Airlines flight.

The Source

Information in this story came from the Federal Aviation Administration, SEA Airport, FlightAware, and Alaska Airlines.

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