Plane Diverted After Threatening Note Found

November 21, 2003

A plane bound for London returned to Kennedy Airport early Friday after a flight attendant found a threatening note on a seat in the aircraft, authorities said.

Virgin Atlantic Flight 10 departed from Kennedy Airport shortly after midnight Friday but returned at about 1:30 a.m., said Darrin Kayser, a spokesman for the federal Transportation Security Administration.

Kayser said he did not have information about the contents of the note or whether any arrests were made. He said the FBI was investigating; a message left for the FBI was not immediately returned.

More than 250 passengers aboard the plane were evacuated and rescreened, Kayser said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey conducted a search of the aircraft using canine units, according to Port Authority spokesman Tony Ciavolella.

Virgin Atlantic said in a statement that "as Virgin expected, the threat is now viewed as a hoax." The airline said it was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

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