Kudos to the crew that encountered this posted on an AFA website.
"Hello, all.
I just wanted to share with you what went on our flight on (8/18) PHX to CLE.
We were doing a CLE turn, and were full going out from PHX. There were several "suspicious" passengers onboard the aircraft, and we all communicated that between ourselves and the flight deck. Luckily, we had an FFDO and a LEO (FBI) onboard as well.
There were 2 pretty strange guys on, one seated in row 15, another at 23. They didn't appear to know one another, and had no interaction. There was a family that spoke arabic seated in 24, which proved to be pretty valuable, although we were pretty suspicious of some of the members of that family originally due to some stange "looks" that we were getting from some members of the family.
The male pax from 23 came back to the lav after the male pax from 15. He had to wait to get into the lav, as there was the ususal line.
He had a bag with him, and when I questioned him on whether he was waiting to use the lav, and he said yes, I then asked what was in the bag. He said it was a camera.
I told him that electronic devices were not allowed to be carried into the lav, and he beligerently asked what he was supposed to do with it, and I replied that he would have to leave it on the outside of the lav.
That all being said and done, the female pax from the family in 24 came back and was scared out of her mind regarding this pax in 23. She said that the man from 15 had come up to the man at 23 and nodded toward the lav, and the male pax in 23 had just replied "after you".
We were, of course, relaying all of this to the flight deck. The LEO came back to use the lav, and I brought her into the whole thing, and she said that she would like to detain these pax upon landing and question them. She told me to call the flight deck and inform them of her decision and to have the appropriate authorities meet the flight. We all worked out the details of who was getting up first, who was staying on last (the witness in 24), and how it would be handled.
They apprehended to two men from 15 and 23. The police brought on a bomb-snifffing dog, and then the local office of the FBI showed up.
Of course, we will never probably know what, if anything, was going on. However, the pax in 23 had a ticket to DCA. And, both suspicious pax had mexican money, and arabic names.
Long story, I know.
But, be careful out there and seriously monitor the cabin for these seemingly unrelated persons and actions.Write up all suspicious pax, and keep yourself and your planes safe. We all felt "creeped out" and definitely felt like they may have been testing us."
Continue to be vigilant while out there all!
"Hello, all.
I just wanted to share with you what went on our flight on (8/18) PHX to CLE.
We were doing a CLE turn, and were full going out from PHX. There were several "suspicious" passengers onboard the aircraft, and we all communicated that between ourselves and the flight deck. Luckily, we had an FFDO and a LEO (FBI) onboard as well.
There were 2 pretty strange guys on, one seated in row 15, another at 23. They didn't appear to know one another, and had no interaction. There was a family that spoke arabic seated in 24, which proved to be pretty valuable, although we were pretty suspicious of some of the members of that family originally due to some stange "looks" that we were getting from some members of the family.
The male pax from 23 came back to the lav after the male pax from 15. He had to wait to get into the lav, as there was the ususal line.
He had a bag with him, and when I questioned him on whether he was waiting to use the lav, and he said yes, I then asked what was in the bag. He said it was a camera.
I told him that electronic devices were not allowed to be carried into the lav, and he beligerently asked what he was supposed to do with it, and I replied that he would have to leave it on the outside of the lav.
That all being said and done, the female pax from the family in 24 came back and was scared out of her mind regarding this pax in 23. She said that the man from 15 had come up to the man at 23 and nodded toward the lav, and the male pax in 23 had just replied "after you".
We were, of course, relaying all of this to the flight deck. The LEO came back to use the lav, and I brought her into the whole thing, and she said that she would like to detain these pax upon landing and question them. She told me to call the flight deck and inform them of her decision and to have the appropriate authorities meet the flight. We all worked out the details of who was getting up first, who was staying on last (the witness in 24), and how it would be handled.
They apprehended to two men from 15 and 23. The police brought on a bomb-snifffing dog, and then the local office of the FBI showed up.
Of course, we will never probably know what, if anything, was going on. However, the pax in 23 had a ticket to DCA. And, both suspicious pax had mexican money, and arabic names.
Long story, I know.
But, be careful out there and seriously monitor the cabin for these seemingly unrelated persons and actions.Write up all suspicious pax, and keep yourself and your planes safe. We all felt "creeped out" and definitely felt like they may have been testing us."
Continue to be vigilant while out there all!
