Crew Member Thought She Saw Man Bypass Security

A crew member's suspicions about a passenger aboard an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to London Thursday resulted in an emergency stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The crew member believed she saw the man bypassing security at Los Angeles International Airport by riding a shuttle for employees from the parking lot to the terminal and entering through the employee entrance, according to spokeswoman Sonja Whitemon.

"The passenger became cause for concern," American Airlines spokesman Ned Raynolds told CNN. "The pilot and crew made a decision to divert to JFK."

Passenger Anthony Loynes told CNN the pilot informed passengers they were going to stop at JFK to take on fuel. After they landed, he said, security officers boarded the aircraft removed a man of "Middle Eastern descent" after questioning him and a woman sitting next to him.

The passenger in questioned was held for questioning by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Thursday morning, FBI officials in New York and Washington told CNN.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the man is a US citizen and was born in the United States.

The Transportation Security Administration found the man had done nothing wrong, had gone though proper security procedures and had posed no security threat.

An airline spokeswoman said the rest of the 218 passengers were cleared off the aircraft and placed on other American flights. The original aircraft was scheduled for a security sweep.

FMI: www.aa.com, www.tsa.gov