Man’s ‘bomb’ threats end in airport arrest

(Anchorage Daily News) A man who mentioned the word “bomb” on an Alaska Airlines flight into Anchorage this afternoon prompted a full-scale search of the plane by the law enforcement once it landed, according to the FBI.

The man identified as Kirk Frederick Forest, 38, of Wyoming, was arrested at Ted Stevens International Airport.

Passengers said he was pacing the aisles and mumbling religious phrases on the flight from Seattle, said FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez said.

“He did appear agitated and made a threat to the plane,” he said.

Forest was restrained by the flight crew, he said.

A spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines said Forest mentioned the bomb just as the 737-800 was descending shortly after 2 p.m. There were more than 150 people onboard, spokeswoman Amanda Tobin Bielawski said. The flight originated in Washington, D.C., but had taken off from Seattle after noon.

After the plane landed in Anchorage, it was taken to a remote location on the runway and searched with dogs, she said. Passengers were taken by bus to the terminal and interviewed.

Passenger Greg Dutton, heading in from Seattle on a business trip, said he saw Forest, who was disheveled and looked to be in his 50s, walking the aisles, proselytizing to passengers with a Bible, saying things like “God loves me.”

“I think the religious messages unnerved some people,” he said.

At some point, another passenger confronted Forest, disagreeing with his religious views, and the two began to argue, said Clyde Bullion, another passenger.

“(Forest) said he wanted all of us to get to know God, too,” Bullion said.

The man was surrounded at the back of the plane by airline personnel and restrained. It took several hours for the FBI to interview all the passengers about the incident.

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