A Florida flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger, recently discharged from a psychiatric facility, claimed his laptop was a bomb. The passenger, 27-year-old Taj Malik Taylor, was on Allegiant Air Flight 1023, departing from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida to Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport in Virginia. The flight was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members when the incident occurred late Sunday afternoon, as reported by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Taylor, less than an hour into the flight, allegedly informed his fellow passenger that he had a bomb. When questioned about his alarming statement, Taylor reportedly showed his laptop and declared it to be the bomb. The terrified passenger promptly alerted the flight attendants, leading to the pilot’s decision to return to St. Pete-Clearwater, landing approximately 40 minutes after takeoff.
Upon landing, Pinellas County sheriff’s officers, responding to a call of a “verbal bomb threat,” were waiting for the plane. Several other passengers also reported hearing Taylor’s bomb claim. Taylor was arrested around 2 p.m., and a K-9 unit was brought in to inspect his belongings.
After Taylor’s removal, the flight resumed its journey, reaching Roanoke around 7:57 p.m. An Allegiant Air spokesperson stated that the airline does not tolerate disruptive behavior, and the decision to return to the airport was made in the interest of safety. Law enforcement officers were on hand to take the passenger into custody upon landing.
Taylor now faces felony charges of making threats and providing false information. He was released into the custody of the US Marshals on Monday, with the FBI leading the investigation. Taylor made his initial appearance in Tampa federal court on Monday afternoon.
According to an FBI affidavit, Taylor did not admit to making the bomb threats but complained about the rudeness of the woman sitting next to him on the flight. He also revealed that he had recently been released from a mental health facility and was experiencing a lack of clarity due to medication. Taylor, a former high school football star from Largo, Florida, suffered a severe concussion in 2013, which has been linked to long-term neurological issues.
Taylor, who claims to be a US Air Force veteran and is currently a seminary student at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, could face a fine of up to $25,000, a prison sentence of up to five years, or both if convicted of making a false bomb threat.