PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Two fighter jets intercepted a Hawaii-bound airliner after a passenger refused to hand over his carry-on bag and passed a "disturbing note," officials said.
The F-15 jets, from the Oregon National Guard, intercepted the flight about 1 p.m. local time Wednesday and escorted it back to Portland International Airport, ABC News reported.
The passenger had given the note, whose content was not disclosed, to a flight attendant, the Transportation Security Administration said.
"The captain made a decision to return the plane to Portland due to a suspicious passenger who made threatening remarks and refused to store his carry-on bag," the TSA said in a statement.
The disturbance occurred about 12:30 p.m., 40 minutes into Hawaiian Flight 39, officials said.
The Boeing 767, with 231 passengers aboard, landed at 1:16 p.m. in Portland, where the passenger was removed, then refueled and headed for Maui.
Keoni Wagner, a spokesman for the airline, said the "low-level" incident involved one disruptive passenger.
The incident marked the latest of several U.S. airline scares since the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day.
