FBI rules out terrorism in Seattle plane crash
Washington, Aug 12 : The airline employee who stole a plane on Friday in Seattle and crashed soon afterward did not have any links to terrorist organizations and was seeking to commit suicide, the FBI said on Saturday.
The FBI said via Twitter that "the information gathered thus far does NOT suggest a terrorist threat".
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department previously said that preliminary investigations suggested that the 29-year-old man who stole the plane was suicidal and had crashed because he was "doing stunts in air" or because of a "lack of flying skills", Efe reported.
The man, who worked for an airline at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, stole an empty 76-seat plane Friday night belonging to Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, and took off without authorization.
Soon afterward, the North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-15 fighter jets to pursue the stolen plane, which crashed on Ketron Island, between Tacoma and Olympia, after performing air stunts.
According to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, US president Donald Trump had been informed on the incident and was monitoring the situation from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"Federal authorities are assisting with the ongoing investigation which is being led by local authorities. We commend the interagency response effort for their swift action and protection of public safety," Sanders said in a statement.
While the incident was taking place, no plane was allowed to take off from Seattle-Tacoma, which is ranked the ninth busiest airport in the United States, serving 46.9 million passengers in 2017.
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New trains to ease crowding on Namma Metro Purple-Green lines in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Commuters on the crowded Namma Metro Purple and Green lines may soon get relief, as the Railway Board has issued provisional sanction for induction of new train sets, Deccan Herald reported.
The Railway Board communicated the provisional sanction to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in a letter on April 1, raising hopes that additional trains could be deployed during peak hours by May-June.
According to the Railway Board, the approval comes with conditions, including a maximum speed of 80 kmph in fully inflated mode and 25 kmph in deflated mode of the secondary air spring.
The BMRCL will also need a separate sanction from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) by submitting the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) report confirming the trains’ integration, operation, and compatibility with the Direct To Go (DTG) signalling and train control system for the Purple and Green lines.
The BMRCL has received three DTG trains, including a prototype delivered in January 2025, for the Purple and Green lines. The trains must pass 37 statutory clearances before entering passenger service.
The BMRCL had approached the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), under the Ministry of Railways, to conduct statutory trials related to oscillation, braking, speed and system integration tests for the trains. The CMRS will issue the final sanction after receiving the ISA certificate.
Officials said the ISA certification process is already underway, with new signalling software currently being tested. Final approvals are expected by May-June, after which the trains can be introduced into service.
The new trains have been supplied by China's CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, which will deliver a total of 21 trains for the Purple and Green lines in partnership with the West Bengal-based Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL). Currently, the network operates with 57 trains supplied by BEML.
