A Newark-bound United Airlines flight was forced to return to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport after a flight attendant made a disturbing discovery on a passenger's mobile device on Saturday night.
According to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by the Associated Press, a 25-year-old passenger allegedly communicated that he was "gonna hijack this" plane and "crash ur row only."
The threat was relayed to pilots, who initiated lockdown protocols and diverted the aircraft back to Las Vegas, where it was met by police who arrested the individual on charges of making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism.
The charges carry a possible sentence of one to 20 years in prison.
United confirmed that the flight, which was carrying 150 passengers, turned around due to a "potential security concern." After being delayed overnight, the flight ultimately departed for Newark on Sunday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating the incident, which comes just weeks after a Flydubai pilot allegedly attempted to hijack and crash a plane into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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