A transatlantic American Airlines flight was delayed and eventually rescheduled at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the US, following a security scare after a passenger discovered a Wi-Fi network named ‘Al-Qaeda Free Terror Network’.
The discovery of the network led to a three-hour delay for the American Airlines Flight 136, which was scheduled to fly from LAX to London, UK.
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NBC News reported that LAX spokeswoman Alicia Ortiz said that police responded to a call at 9:28 pm on Sunday after a passenger onboard American Airlines Flight 136 reported that while searching for a wireless network, his electronic device revealed the scary network name. The passenger reported this to the airline and the flight was returned to the gate for further investigation.
However, an investigation by agents from US Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security and air marshals found no evidence that the network originated from anyone on the plane. They said that it could have been a mobile hotspot in the terminal.
Passengers who were supposed to board the flight were pulled away from the gate and were rechecked as a precaution. They were also checked for any derogatory information, such as being on the government’s no-fly list. However, nothing could be discovered.
The police said that no crime had been committed.
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By GlobalDataSergeant Karla Ortiz said in a statement: "Passengers were interviewed and cleared to continue with their travel plans."
However, the flight had to be further delayed after the development of a maintenance issue and the crew had to be replaced as they had timed-out. The flight finally departed on Monday afternoon.
