Story Travel

Hidden camera in a bathroom forces plane to make emergency landing

As reported on The Verge.

By Rich McCormick

american-airlines

An American Airlines flight between San Francisco and New York was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City on Sunday after a device was found “ominously taped” to a bathroom wall. The device was initially thought to be a flash drive, but after investigation, appears to be “a camera disguised as a flash drive.”

The 215 passengers on board American Airlines flight 24 were reportedly told an issue with the plane’s air circulation system would force an unscheduled stop at Kansas City International airport, but were later informed that the reason for the emergency landing was a “bomb threat.” Once the Boeing 767 landed at 1:30PM local time, both passengers and crew were evacuated and the plane was moved to a secured terminal at the far side of the airport, where it was searched. The flight was able to resume its journey at around 3:15PMNBC News reports the security officials — including the FBI — are trying to find the owner of the suspicious device.

Update: Early reports suggested the device was a simple flash drive, rather than a camera disguised as a flash drive. This story has been updated to reflect this new information.