Overview

• A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle passed a note to a flight attendant threatening to detonate explosives if the flight was not diverted.
• The plane landed in Spokane, Washington, where authorities found no explosives.
• The passenger claimed he made the false threat because he feared members of a Mexican cartel were waiting to kill him in Seattle.
• The passenger now faces federal charges for conveying false information and hoaxes.
• All 177 passengers and 6 crew members on the flight were safely evacuated in Spokane.