Passenger faces charges over call that halted flight

By Glenn Adams
The Associated Press

	Zubair Ali Ghias
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Zubair Ali Ghias told investigators that he phoned his family after boarding the plane Thursday to say he had been kidnapped in Chicago by Arabs who forced him to travel to New York and board the plane, an FBI affidavit said.

Ghias, 27, who had been reported missing Monday, eventually admitted making up the story, saying he made the "rash decision" to "get away from everything" after fighting with his wife Saturday, the document said.

Yolanda Clark, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said her agency learned while the Royal Air Maroc flight was in the air that "a male passenger phoned his wife from the plane and stated he was going to blow it up."

A private investigator, Ernie Rizzo, confirmed that Ghias called his family from aboard the plane.

According to Rizzo, Ghias told his wife, "I've been captured by al-Qaida, they want me to do something for them. I love you, I just gotta do this."

FBI spokesman Ross Rice, however, said there was no terrorist threat against the flight, which was diverted to Bangor, Maine, about four hours after it took off from New York. Ghias told the FBI he did not identify his kidnappers as terrorists when he called his family.

The Boeing 767 left for Casablanca again yesterday and landed there safely.

Ghias was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Monday in federal court. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

A second man detained from the flight was identified by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official as Ahmed Bhiksi, a Moroccan who was in the process of being deported from the United States. Paula Grenier, an immigration spokeswoman, would not say why Bhiksi was being deported.

He left the plane with the other passengers while Bangor police searched the aircraft for a bomb, but he was detained after he balked at getting back on, Grenier said.

Bangor police Sgt. James Owens said Ghias and Bhiksi were seated together, but Grenier said it was merely coincidence.

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