SPOKANE, Wash. – Court documents published Thursday revealed new details of the bomb threat note written by Brandon L. Scott on an Alaska Airlines flight, and the federal prison sentence he received as a result.
Scott, 40, was a passenger on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle. According to court documents, before the plane began its descent into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Scott handed the flight attendant a note with the following statement, in part:
“There is a bomb on the plane. This is not a joke. Several pounds of homemade explosives are in my carry-on bag. I have a detonator with me. Handle this matter carefully and exactly how I say, otherwise I will detonate the explosives and kill everyone on board. You are to alert the pilot to this note and keep the issue to yourself. Many innocent lives are in your hands, do as I demand and everyone will live. Deviate and the consequences will be deadly for all of us. I have nothing left to lose.”
The flight crew notified Air Traffic Control, successfully rerouting the aircraft to Spokane, where Scott was taken into custody. No explosives were found.
Scott received a 22-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice.
Alongside the prison term, Scott was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $79,449.47 in restitution to Alaska Airlines and Spokane International Airport.
“Threatening the safety of a commercial flight is a serious federal crime that puts lives at risk, disrupts national air travel, and drains emergency resources,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker stated. “Mr. Scott’s actions caused widespread disruption and alarm.”
“The threat made by Mr. Scott ended up being a hoax, but he is finding it had real-life consequences,” W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office, added.
The FBI conducted the investigation, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler H.L. Tornabene and Patrick J. Cashman.
