Scientific Dictatorship

No Explosives Found Aboard Jet Diverted To Maine

BANGOR, Maine -- The father of a former Air Force intelligence specialist was left to wonder why his son went from leading a "squeaky clean" life to being accused of claiming he had explosives aboard a trans-Atlantic flight, forcing the jetliner and its passengers to spend the night in Bangor.

Delta Air Lines Flight 273 from Paris to Atlanta was diverted to Maine because the passenger said he had a fake passport and explosives aboard the plane, U.S. officials said. The passport was real, law enforcement officials said, but there were no explosives on the Airbus A330.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Richard Stansberry was perplexed after government officials told him that his son, Derek Stansberry, 26, of Riverview, Fla., had been detained Tuesday at Bangor International Airport.

"My son's profession in the military required he live a squeaky clean life," Richard Stansberry said.

In Washington, Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Linda Pepin said the man detained on Flight 273 was a senior airman and worked as an intelligence specialist. She said he was on active duty from June 2005 to 2009 and was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Charde Houston, an all-star forward for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, was on the flight. She said she saw no clues on the handcuffed man's face as he was led off the plane on Tuesday.

"He looked extremely calm, like a blank face. No emotion," Houston said...

Labels: Airbus, Delta, Derek Stansberry, explosives, intelligence, Maine, U.S. Air Force