Airline Bomb Scare Caused By Jewish Teenager's Prayers

A Jewish prayer object known as tefillin (above) caused a plane to divert from its destination of Kentucky to Philadelphia, when the object was mistaken for an explosive device. A 17-year-old boy on US Airways Express Flight 3079 traveling from New York to Louisville was attempting to use the object during the flight.

FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said, "It's something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever."

According to Wikipedia, "the hand-tefillin, or shel yad, is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead, with the strap going around the head and over the shoulders."

Although the teenager explained the device to crew members when questioned, the captain of the flight decided to divert to Philadelphia anyway. Flight 3079 left LaGuardia Airport in New York around 7:30 AM, and landed in Philadelphia about 90 minutes later. There, it was met by police and officials from the FBI and Transportation Security Administration.

The White Plains, NY teen, who was traveling with his 16-year-old sister, was very cooperative, and neither were booked into custody. Both were allowed to continue on their way, and passengers on the flight were re-booked on other flights.

Eight-Year-Old Winds Up On Terror Watch List

The TSA, in a section they call "Myth Busters," says that "No 8-year-old is on a TSA watch list." Oops. It looks like the Myth Buster is busted, because that's not the case. There is an eight-year-old on the watch list.

Michael Hicks is on a watch list, under suspicion by the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, there happens to be a boy named Mikey Hicks, 8. According to his mother, he's been having to suffer through extra security for 7 1/2 years.

It's interesting, because the TSA site says:

Airlines can and should automatically de-select any 8-year-olds out there that appear to be on a watch.

Apparently, not, based on his mother's statements. He was first patted down when he was two.

On their latest trip, he was frisked "aggressively," his mother said. Of course, there should be some degree of allowance made: it came after the Christmas Day near-bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight.

“Up your arms, down your arms, up your crotch — someone is patting your 8-year-old down like he’s a criminal. A terrorist can blow his underwear up and they don’t catch him. But my 8-year-old can’t walk through security without being frisked.”

Still more interesting: his mother, Najlah Feanny Hicks, is a photojournalist who once got Secret Service clearance to travel aboard Air Force II with then-Vice President Al Gore. You'd think his age might get Mikey off the hook, but apparently no. And really, as he gets older, things will just get worse.

Watch a report from CBS' "The Early Show."

Northwest Airlines Flight Diverted Because of Christmas Ornament

Northwest Airlines must feel snakebit. Not only was it the airline involved in the Christmas Day incident involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian national, that almost resulted in Flight 253 being taken down over Detroit, it was also the "victim" of a false alarm a few days later over intestinal distress. On New Year's day, there was yet another NWA false alarm.

Delta Air Lines (Delta owns Northwest) spokesman Carlos Santos said the flight was diverted "out of an abundance of caution." He wasn't aware who found the package on the flight from Detroit to Orlando, FL, or why they thought it was suspicious.

Diverted to Nashville, the 75 passengers and five crew members on Northwest flight 2364 were taken off the plane around 8 AM Friday while bomb-sniffing dogs examined it. Two hours later, they were allowed to reboard.

U.S. Flags Burned Over Detaining of Bollywood Star

Never let it be said that India does not support its Bollywood heroes. Shah Rukh Khan was detained at Newark Airport over the weekend, apparently, he said, because his last name is a pretty common Muslim name. India is not any too happy.

Ironically, Shan Rukh Khan was in the U.S. promoting his new film "My Name is Khan," which is about racial profiling.

In the northern city of Allahabad, Khan fans shouted anti-US slogans and burned an American flag. actress Priyanka Chopra added on her Twitter feed "Shocking, disturbing n downright disgraceful. It's such behavior that fuels hatred and racism. SRK's a world figure for God's sake. Get real!"