Passenger detained, suitcase blown up after bomb comment
By: North County Times wire services | ∞
SAN DIEGO - A woman was detained in Arizona -- and her suitcase blown up at Lindbergh Field -- after she made a testy comment about a bomb while boarding an American West flight Thursday.
East Coast psychiatrist Esha Khoshnu, 46, apparently became frustrated with security screeners and allegedly said, "if i had a bomb you wouldn't find it," KGTV reported.
The woman made the remark while waiting to board a San Diego-bound flight in Phoenix, said Mike Aguilar, Federal Security Director at the San Diego airport.
Airport personnel responded by detaining her for questioning, but her suitcase got past security and was loaded onto the jetliner.
The plane made a routine landing at Lindbergh Field shortly after 7 a.m.
The pilot was instructed to taxi to a remote area of the airport, where about 35 passengers were taken off the plane and escorted onto two buses.
Members of the San Diego Fire Department's bomb squad searched the plane but found no explosives, officials said.
They removed the woman's suitcase and inspected it in an open area on the grounds of the airport, finding nothing suspicious.
But taking no chances, the blew up the bag with an explosive charge and then doused it with water.
After questioning the woman, federal investigators reportedly cleared her to take a later flight to San Diego, where she was due to attend a conference.
It was not immediately clear if Khoshnu would face charges.
More Stories
Advertisement
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.
Today's Stories
Advertisement