Guilty plea for teen hijacker
Alleged plot to crash plane at Hannah Montana concert yields guilty plea for teen hijacker Friday for “a delinquent act”
NASHVILLE, TN – A Juvenile Court judge Friday, Jan. 25, accepted a guilty plea for “a delinquent act” from a 16-year-old California boy charged with felony terrorism Tuesday.
The boy’s name is withheld, Nashville District Attorney spokesperson Susan Niland told PRB News Monday. “The case falls under the protections of the juvenile courts,” she said.
A Nashville Attorney’s Office release obtained by PRB News noted the plea in Davidson County Juvenile Court by Judge Betty Adams Green.
Judge Green set aside a disposition ruling in the case and ordered the teen remanded to California for related charges and further disposition on the Nashville charge.
“We took many factors into account in reaching this resolution,” Assistant District Attorney General Jon Seaborg said in the information release.
“Primarily, we wanted to ensure the safety of the community,” he added. “We are satisfied with this settlement and confident that it’s the best resolution given the totality of the circumstances.”
Federal officials indicated the teen was found with handcuffs, rope and duct tape when taken into custody. Speculation continues about possible federal charges.
“That remains under review in our office,” Nashville U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Steve Richardson told PRB News.
Seaborg said none of the items the teen had with him are illegal under Tennessee law. “It could be interpreted as harmless or a joke, but it’s still something we have to take seriously,” he said.
“Whether anything could realistically be carried out is irrelevant,” he added, alluding to allegations made about the teenager’s intentions for Southwest Airlines flight 284.
The Davidson County D.A.’s office and other local authorities have been in communication with their California counterparts about returning the teen to California.
“We are in the process of arranging a secure custodial transport of this individual,” Seaborg said. “Until that happens, he will continue to be detained within the juvenile system.”
Homeland Security Department sources confirmed to PRB News Thursday a Hannah Montana Concert was the apparent target of the would-be teen hijacker.
The California teen had been arrested and charged with felony terrorism in Nashville, HSD noted at that time.
“The teenager boarded a plane in Los Angeles on Tuesday night,” the HSD statement said, adding local police found the suspicious items and discovered the teen’s intent to hijack.
The teen wanted to divert the plane to Lafayette, La., and crash it into a “Hannah Montana” concert, officials said.
Another published report stated authorities searched the teenager’s home in California and found a makeshift cockpit.
FBI spokesman George Bolds confirmed to reporters the 16-year-old boy had been removed from the Southwest flight by Nashville International Airport authorities.
“His plan had a low probability of success,” Bolds said, added he expects federal charges to come, but passed reports of the teen’s plan to crash a “Hannah Montana” concert as unlikely.
Bolds said it has not been determined if the boy was trying to crash the plane. He confirmed authorities found a mock cockpit at the teen’s California home.
The teen is believed to have been suicidal, Bolds said, but he could not comment further on the teen’s mental condition because of juvenile case confidentiality concerns.
Bolds indicated the teen was calm throughout the flight, never attempted to hijack it, but told the FBI afterward about his original plans to commandeer the aircraft.