FAA investigating potential hijacking threat aboard Las Vegas United flight

A United Airlines flight heading for New Jersey had to return to Las Vegas after a flight attendant reportedly noticed a traveler texting about potentially hijacking the plane. United Flight 1681 was carrying 150 passengers and six crew members as it traveled from Harry Reid International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport Saturday night when a flight attendant noticed alarming messages on a passenger’s phone, according to CBS News. “The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft. They called me, we went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas,” the flight’s pilot told an air traffic controller, according to audio of the call obtained by CBS.“United Airlines Flight 1681 returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 11:05 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 24, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.The Boeing 737 returned to Vegas about an hour after it initially took off. All of the passengers were removed from the plane and underwent inspection, authorities said. No injuries were reported in the incident. A United Airlines flight was diverted back to Las Vegas over the weekend after crew reported a ‘disturbance’ on board (Reuters)According to FlightAware, the flight originally took off for Newark at 10:37 p.m. Saturday night before it returned at 11:42 p.m. Passengers were placed on another flight that left Sunday morning around 7 a.m. and landed in Newark that afternoon. United said the flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout. The Independent has contacted United for more information. Authorities have not shared the identity of the passenger, and it was not immediately clear whether they were detained or questioned upon landing. The FAA says it is investigating the incident.