The ultimate caveat, from a Fox contributor: "There's a lot of speculation about assumptions being presumed." True. True.
Standard caveat about this likely being a false alarm, but there was a Manchester-Chicago American Airlines flight diverted to Maine, 167 people on board, all of them being interviewed.
Diverted for a "security situation" but no details.
Update: From the AP.
"Nothing is wrong. We will put a new crew on it, and the flight will continue to Chicago," Hotard said. "The TSA had a security concern about the flight, and the concern has been addressed."
A TSA spokeswoman said the agency was preparing a statement.
I wonder what the effect of all these false alarms actually is. Some lefties have given me flak for covering these stories because I'm, apparently, inciting panic to serve the Bush administration, or something. But really, who's panicked? I've noticed very little panic in the reports I've heard from my friends who've traveled over the last couple weeks.
People aren't panicking. They're just thinking about terrorism, which is not a bad thing. It's a real problem, and it should be thought about. Lefties, understandably, don't want them thinking about it. They want them to think terrorist threats ain't really such a big deal.
Update: Fox is reporting that dynamite was found in a student's baggage at the Newark International Airport.
Update: All-clear given on that plane. Was it just a dumb college student trying to bring dynamite back with him from a trip. Yikes, that's askin' for it.
Update: Drudge links to word of yet another diverted plane, this one to Oklahoma City, after an Air Marshal subdued a passenger causing a disturbance.
At Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport, law enforcement officers were questioning the passenger involved in the incident that led to the diversion of the U.S. Airways flight, airline spokesman Morgan Durrant said. The Charlotte, N.C.-bound flight had left Phoenix at 6:15 a.m.
Durrant did not disclose the nature of the problem between the passenger and the flight attendant. Officials at the airport and the FBI did not immediately return telephone calls.
A passenger interviewed by a television station said an air marshal tackled the man, but that it wasn't clear what prompted the incident.
Eh, well, go forth readers and panic.