In the News
Yesterday evening a transatlantic flight made an unexpected emergency landing in Bangor, Maine on its way from Paris to Atlanta. Federal Air Marshals were forced to take action when 26-year old Derek Stansberry, a passenger on the flight, claimed to have explosives in his luggage and a fake passport. The flight landed safely in Bangor where Stansberry was taken into custody and his luggage was searched.
The air marshals discovered that Stansberry’s passport was authentic and there was nothing suspicious in his luggage. All passengers spent the night in Bangor and are scheduled to continue on to Atlanta in the morning. Although this may have been a false alarm, air safety is taken very seriously and Stanberry will no doubt be in a lot of trouble!
This full story can be read here.
More About Air Marshals
The Federal Air Marshal Service is the primary law enforcement agency within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Air Marshals are the undercover agents in the sky who protect over 80,000 flights in US airspace each day. They are responsible for protecting passengers and flight crew from crime and acts of terrorism. Air marshals may assist the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center in investigations to identify criminals and criminal threats. They must also prevent other forms of criminal misconduct (such as smuggling) from occurring.
Air marshals are usually disguised to blend in with other passengers. Air marshals carry weapons and are able to make arrests without warrants when necessary. According to the TSA, a Federal Air Marshal flies 181 days a year and spends 5 hours a day in an aircraft.
