Bomb scare triggered by shoe bomber gag

A bomb scare was trigger in the US when a diplomat made show bomber gag

Travel Insurance News - 09/04/2010

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Military jets were scrambled and police alerted after a Qatari diplomat triggered a bomb scare by telling a Richard Reid gag on a US flight. Mohammed al-Madai raised alarms after going for a smoke in the toilets of a United Airlines jet flying from Washington to Denver, Colorado.

When questioned by crew about the smell of smoke, al-Madadi apparently made a joking reference to British shoe bomber Richard Reid.

Unfortunately for all concerned, the attempted gag about trying to light his shoes resulted in F-16 jets escorting the plane to its destination, where police took Mr al-Madadi into custody.

The law firm Brown Lloyd James, which represents the Qatari embassy, said in a statement that al-Madadi, third secretary at the embassy, had been released by authorities and was returning to Washington.

Ali Bin Fahad al-Hajri, the Qatari ambassador to the US, said it was all a mistake and al-Madadi had not been involved in any threatening activity.

In 2001, Briton Richard Reid tried to blow up a transatlantic flight by lighting explosives in his shoes, in what became known as the shoe bomber incident.

This latest scare hits US aviation only months after a Nigerian man tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Denver. Passengers overpowered 23 year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab after his failed bid to ignite explosives in his pants.

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