A Marina coach was arrested for charges of making a threat of a false bomb while he was on a flight from Hawaiian Airlines, authorities said.
The electronics coach, the first class John Stea, 35, was arrested and accused of making a threat of false bomb and a false report of a security threat.
The police of the San Diego port alleges in a press release that Stea told a flight attendant on Hawaii Airlines flight 15 that the passenger next to him had a bomb while the flight was preparing to leave. The flight attendant told the captain about the potential threat, police said.
“The Port of the Puerto reminds the public to maliciously inform a threat of a false bomb is against the law and can result in fines and up to a year of imprisonment in the county prison or the state prison if it is declared guilty,” said the police.
The incident occurred when the plane was about to leave the San Diego International Airport to Honolulu, which led the plane to a taxi to a safe place and a search on the plane. The almost 300 people on board were exhausted and transported by bus to a safe area, police said.
The plane and all the luggage were finally clear.
“The security of the public and our staff is of the utmost importance for the Navy. We take all the threats seriously and we are fully cooperating with the local and federal authorities,” said Lieutenant Mohammad N. Issa, attached officer of public affairs, commander, third fleet of the United States, in a statement.
