A 16-year-old male from Novato, California has been arrested in Tennessee allegations he intended to hijack a commercial passenger airliner in the United States.
The boy, who was unnamed due his age, was a passenger on board Southwest Airlines Flight 284 from Los Angeles to Nashville on Tuesday, his parents reporting him missing at 11:30 am the same day. Although he remained calm the flight and made no hijacking attempt, authorities report he had handcuffs, duct tape and yarn inside the aircraft cabin with him. his arrest was only made public on Friday, it is reported that he detained immediately on reaching Nashville International Airport.
George Bolds, a spokesman the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that the items were "suspicious" and that the boy had informed the FBI he had indeed intended to hijack the aircraft. An FBI agent told reporters that he felt the plot was ill-conceived, saying "His plan had a low probability success."
The FBI also conducted a search of his home on Thursday, finding in his room "a photograph of the inside of a small aircraft, you'd find in a bookstore."
Subsequent to his arrest he pled guilty on Friday to a "delinquent act," according to local officials. A juvenile court judge ordered him to be returned to California for continued perusal of that charge well as others set to be made. He is currently in Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville.