By ,
Published November 17, 2014
A flight from Dallas to Washington was been canceled after a traveler reported that two other passengers were acting suspiciously.
Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-TX., a member of the Homeland Security Committee was on board the scheduled flight and told Fox News the flight crew took repeated ten minute delays before police officers boarded the plane to remove the suspects.
Farenthold said his wife called his attention to the men and that other passengers had notified a flight attendant about their suspicious behavior.
The suspects were reportedly wearing loose fitting track clothes, and Farenthold said one of them had a computer printer.
He said he heard that one of the passengers had put a bag in the overhead bin in First Class, and that another passenger had complained, which prompted the flight attendant to talk to the pilot.
The congressman said the pilot announced that there was a security breach and that passengers needed to get off the plane to go back through screening.
Farenthold called his office who then notified the TSA that there was a congressman on board. He was then escorted off the plane.
Farenthold said that while press reports may say the incident isn't a big deal, when you're sitting on a plane a few days before 9/11 and there is a security breach, it "certainly gives you a wake up call."
He said he suspects that everyone is more on guard than they normally would be, and that this experience will make him change his behavior to be more alert.
Federal officials say they talked to the two passengers and released them without charges.
There were 140 passengers aboard the American Airlines flight at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday.
The airline says all the passengers were put on later flights to Washington.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/homeland-security-committee-member-on-flight-canceled-after-security-breach