Teen Arrested on Flight May Be Suicidal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities believe a teen accused of plotting to hijack a plane was suicidal, and a judge was scheduled to decide Friday whether to keep him in custody.
The 16-year-old, who has not been identified by authorities, was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday night at Nashville International Airport. He was being held at a juvenile detention facility.
FBI spokesman George Bolds told The Associated Press the teen had handcuffs, rope and duct tape in his bag, and was believed to be traveling alone.
The teen was calm during the flight from Los Angeles and made no apparent attempt to commandeer the plane, Bolds said. He could not comment further on the teen's mental condition because he is a minor.
Authorities searched the boy's home in California and found a mock cockpit, he said.
Juvenile Court Administrator Tim Adgent said a hearing scheduled Friday afternoon would determine whether the teen should remain in custody or "if there other avenues for his release."
A message left with the juvenile public defender's office was not immediately returned.
The boy is currently facing only state charges. Nashville District Attorney General spokeswoman Susan Niland would not release the nature of the charges because the suspect is a minor.
Federal prosecutors were still reviewing the case and had not filed any charges as of Friday morning, said David Boling, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Middle Tennessee.
The FBI dismissed broadcast reports Thursday night that the teen was planning to crash the plane into a "Hannah Montana" concert in Lafayette, La.
Associated Press Writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this report.
Southwest airliner (file photo). 
A 16-year-old male from Novato, California has been arrested in Tennessee over allegations he intended to hijack a commercial passenger airliner in the United States. 

The boy, who was unnamed due to his age, was a passenger on board Southwest Airlines Flight 284 from Los Angeles to Nashville on Tuesday, with his parents reporting him missing at 11:30 am the same day. Although he remained calm throughout the flight and made no hijacking attempt, authorities report he had handcuffs, duct tape and yarn inside the aircraft cabin with him. Although his arrest was only made public on Friday, it is reported that he was detained immediately on reaching Nashville International Airport.

George Bolds, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that the items were "suspicious" and that the boy had informed the FBI he had indeed intended to hijack the aircraft. An FBI agent told reporters that he felt the plot was ill-conceived, saying "His plan had a low probability of success."

The FBI also conducted a search of his home on Thursday, finding in his room "a photograph of the inside of a small aircraft, something you'd find in a bookstore."

Subsequent to his arrest he pled guilty on Friday to a "delinquent act," according to local officials. A juvenile court judge ordered him to be returned to California for continued perusal of that charge as well as others set to be made. He is currently in Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville.

Authorities believe that the teen was suicidal, but the FBI dismissed earlier reports alleging that he intended to crash the airliner into a Hannah Montana concert in Lafayette, Louisiana.