Passenger removed from US flight after Ramadan prayer reminder 'misunderstood' as threat
Southwest Airlines said the diversion was due to a “possible security matter”.
A Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale in the United States was diverted to Atlanta last week after a passenger disturbance alert was triggered when a traveller set a phone timer for Ramadan prayer time, Fox News reports.
According to NBC News, the situation stemmed from a passenger who had set a timer on his phone to mark prayer time during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
Video from the aircraft showed passengers with their hands raised as law enforcement officers boarded the plane and removed the passenger, although authorities later said the incident did not involve a credible security threat.
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The incident occurred on Friday (6 March) night aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 2094, which departed Nashville International Airport at 7:15pm bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
According to Fox News, about 30 minutes into the flight, flight attendants appeared agitated and ran up and down the aisle before instructing passengers over the loudspeaker to put their heads down and hands up.
Passenger Sarah Porter told WKRN the announcement startled travellers on board.
"They came over the loudspeaker, instructing passengers to put their heads down and hands up," she said.
Her mother Julie Porter said passengers initially did not know what was happening.
"We didn't know if it was something mechanical, something medical," she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later said the crew reported a "passenger disturbance," prompting the aircraft to divert to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it landed around 9pm.
Southwest Airlines said the diversion was due to a "possible security matter".
After passengers deplaned in Atlanta, K-9 units inspected their luggage. Travellers later boarded a replacement flight and arrived in Fort Lauderdale shortly before 3:30am on Saturday.
The FBI and Atlanta Police Department investigated the incident and interviewed the passenger, confirming there was no credible threat and that no charges would be filed.
In a statement provided to WKRN, Southwest Airlines said the diversion occurred "out of an abundance of caution due to what turned out to be a misunderstanding of a customer's behaviour."
