Flight returns to Las Vegas after passenger allegedly writes hijack threat

A passenger has been arrested in the US after writing a message threatening to hijack a flight and attack people on board, authorities say.

United Airlines Flight 1681 was travelling from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday night when a flight attendant noticed a passenger drafting the message on his phone.

The suspect, named as 25-year-old Dante Milone, reportedly wrote that he intended to take control of the aircraft and target a specific row of seats.

The flight attendant followed security procedures by discreetly alerting the pilots rather than confronting the passenger directly.

The flight crew immediately secured the cockpit and took the decision to turn the Boeing 737 around.

Flight tracking data showed the aircraft had been airborne for less than an hour before it landed back safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at around 11:05 PM local time.

Officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department met the plane on the tarmac and arrested Mr Milone without incident.

Police subsequently carried out a search of the aircraft. No injuries were reported among the 150 passengers and six crew members on board.

Mr Milone was taken to the Clark County Detention Center and charged with making threats of terrorism and spreading false information concerning a terrorist act.

Under Nevada state law, the charges carry a potential prison sentence of between one and 20 years.

Court documents show he was later released on a $10,000 (£7,700) bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

The diversion caused the flight crew to exceed their maximum permitted working hours, forcing the remaining 149 passengers to spend the night in Las Vegas before taking a rescheduled flight on Sunday morning.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the incident, adding that more than 1,400 incidents involving unruly passengers had been recorded on commercial flights so far this year.