Political Intrigue Surrounds Bomb Threat On International Flight
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two-hundred and seventy-seven passengers on board an Aerolineas flight from Argentina faced federal and Miami-Dade County law enforcement Friday after a bomb threat was made against the flight in Argentina.
The passengers aboard Aerolineas Flight 1302 were met at Miami International Airport by local and federal authorities and bomb-sniffing dogs when the flight landed Friday morning. The passengers were delayed for several hours trying to get off the flight and clear customs.
Plus, passengers on the flight said they were kept in the dark about what was actually going on.
"There was a lot of people and the police and I don't know what happened but I want to go home right now because I'm too tired," said passenger Mariana Coda.
When asked if they were telling the passengers anything, Coda replied, "Nothing."
"There was an emergency or some kind of inconvenience that they have to interrupt what they were doing," said passenger Daniel Moya, "but they didn't explain."
Roughly 1,000 people arriving on several international flights were held up for several hours as customs agents were distracted by the alleged threat posed to the plane.
"Everybody knows the tension that's happening at the airport with the terrorist attacks and everything. So it's really unbelievable that people still make jokes about this," said Robertson Baptista who was meeting a loved one at the airport.
But it may not have been a joke.
While no device was found, one airline employee who asked not to be named said a high-level Argentinean diplomat was on board the targeted flight, suggesting the unfounded threat may have been politically motivated.
A Homeland Security source confirmed to CBS4's Gary Nelson that there was indeed a high-level Argentinean diplomat on board the flight. The source would not name the official nor give the official's title nor would the source confirm or deny the bomb threat was related to the diplomat on board.
