Sun Country flight from Twin Cities to Mexico diverted due to threatening handwritten note
It was later determined the note was a hoax from two children on the flight.
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A Sun Country Airlines flight from the Twin Cities to Mazatlán, Mexico, was diverted to El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon after a threatening handwritten note reading “You Are All Going to Die, Help Me” was found on the plane.
It was later determined that children on the flight wrote the note.
The FBI announced Thursday that passengers reported the note to the flight crew, who reported the note to law enforcement and diverted the flight “out of an abundance of caution.”
The FBI’s El Paso field office said late Wednesday night that investigators conducted interviews once the plane landed safely, and they determined the threat was a hoax initiated by two young children on the flight.
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The United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas declined federal criminal prosecution in the matter.
The FBI said the plane was carrying 156 passengers. Sun Country said they were provided overnight accommodations in El Paso.
“We apologize to our passengers and all those affected by this situation, but safety and security are our highest priorities,” the airline said in its statement. “We will do everything to minimize this disruption and get travelers to their destination as quickly and safely as possible.”
Flight-tracking websites showed the flight left Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport several hours late amid Wednesday’s winter storm and proceeded on its normal route before altering course over Texas to land in El Paso.