Law official: Passenger on diverted flight not a match to suspected terrorist on no-fly list

Law official: Passenger on flight not terrorist

WASHINGTON — A law enforcement official says the passenger on a diverted flight was not a match to a person listed on the government’s list of suspected terrorists who are banned from flying.

Continental Flight 881 was diverted mid-flight to Jacksonville, Fla., because officials thought one of the passengers might be someone on the government’s no-fly list.

The official said that after the plane landed the government determined there was no match. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

An airline is not supposed to issue a boarding pass to a person on the no fly list.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government officials say a flight was diverted to Jacksonville, Fla., because a passenger on board was an apparent match to a name on the terrorist watch list.

Law enforcement officials are looking into whether the passenger is actually a suspected terrorist listed on the government’s no-fly list.

An airline is not supposed to issue a boarding pass to a person on the no-fly list. It was not immediately clear which airline was involved.

According to an internal government report, the flight originated in Newark and was bound for Bogota, Colombia. It was diverted to Jacksonville International Airport.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the incident.