SPOKANE, Wash. — The man suspected of making a false bomb threat on an Alaska Airlines flight told investigators he did it because he believed members of the Cartel were waiting for him to land in Seattle, according to newly filed court documents.
Several flights were diverted to the Spokane International Airport on Thursday after 38-year-old Brandon L. Scott wrote a note threatening to blow up the plane if it landed in Seattle, its planned destination. He then handed the note to a flight attendant and, shortly after, the plane landed at the Spokane airport. Nobody was injured and there was no bomb found anywhere on the plane.
Scott was arrested and taken to the Spokane County Jail, where he currently remains on a U.S. Marshal hold for false information and hoaxes. He appeared in federal court for the first time on Thursday afternoon, where a judge entered a denial on his behalf.
He will be back in court on July 19 at 1:30 p.m.
At approximately 3:25 p.m. ET (12:25 p.m. PT), Alaska Airlines Flight 334 left the Hartsfield Landing International Airport in Atlanta, GA. and began its journey to Seattle. Scott was seated in first-class on that flight.
As the plane was flying, court documents state Scott handed a flight attendant a note written on a paper receipt. The note contained the following message:
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.
My demands are simple. I want this plane rerouted from its destination in Seattle. Any other airport will do. If this plane lands in Seattle, I will kill everyone onboard. Change our destination and I will refrain from detonating the bomb. I repeat, if I see us land in Seattle, I will kill every soul on this plane.
Contact the ground and let them know what's happening and what my demands are. If they reroute us to another airport I will refrain from detonating the explosives and I will give myself up peacefully upon arrival. This incident is to stay out of the news media until well after I have surrendered. Once we have been rerouted I expect an announcement. That way I know my demands have been met. Pretend there is some sort of equipment problem or whatever you have to do. Just get this plane rerouted. Failure to comply will cost the lives of everyone on this plane.
After the flight attendant received the note, they immediately told the captain and co-pilot, who then told Air Traffic Control and Alaska Airlines Security Dispatch what was going on. Once ground crews knew of the threat, the plane was re-routed to the Spokane airport, where it landed at approximately 5:15 p.m.
Once the plane landed, Scott was detained by police. The Spokane Bomb Squad then searched the plane but did not find any explosives or explosive materials, according to documents.
Following Scott's arrest, he agreed to talk to police about what happened. He told them he has "approximately two shots of Vodka" on the flight, but detectives said he didn't seem intoxicated.
During the interview, Scott admitted to writing the note and admitted to knowing the information he put in the note wasn't true. He added that he "hoped" the false threat would lead to the flight being diverted and his arrest.
When asked why he wanted to be arrested, Scott told detectives he was being targeted by the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world. Scott said he believed Cartel members were waiting for him to land in Seattle so they could "kill and torture" him.
Scott also admitted that he considered other ways to get the flight diverted, to include assaulting a flight attendant or opening one of the cabin doors while the plane was in the air. He told police he didn't think of a "more reasonable approach," such as calling police or airport staff to ask for help.
Based on the information Scott gave detectives, probable cause was developed to charge him with false information and hoaxes. This offense is punishable by no more than five years in prison, a fine no more than $250,000 and no more than three years of supervised release.
Records show Scott does have prior misdemeanor and felony convictions, including kidnapping and robbery.
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