Flight attendant charged over bomb scare

The Florida-bound Virgin plane had to be diverted

A French flight attendant accused of writing false bomb threats while on board a transatlantic flight in January has been indicted in Florida.

He could face life imprisonment if convicted of the most serious charge brought by the federal grand jury in Orlando.

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The indictment alleges that Michael Philippe, 25, secretly wrote a note praising Osama Bin Laden and falsely indicating a bomb was on board.

Mr Philippe was working as an attendant on the London-Orlando Virgin Atlantic flight 27 on 19 January.

He is also alleged to have scrawled "American must die" with soap on the plane lavatory mirror.

Mr Philippe reported finding the threats to the captain and another flight attendant, causing the plane to be diverted to Iceland overnight while a search was carried out.

He faces four charges:

• Threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction against US citizens
• Communicating false information and so endangering the safety of a flight
• Intimidating flight crew members
• Making a false statement to an FBI agent

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The charges carry respective maximum penalties of life in prison, 20 years, 20 years, and five years, the US Attorney's Office said in a statement.

The FBI says it arrested Mr Philippe, of Aux-les-Baines, France, on March 27 after it matched fingerprints and handwriting on the note.

Mr Philippe has been released on a $250,000 bail and his whereabouts are being electronically monitored until his trial, on an as yet unknown date.

The scare over flight security was one of several that have followed the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.