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Ten people allegedly carrying multiple fake identities, knives and fake pilot licences were apprehended at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) and La Guardia airports in New York on Thursday evening, giving rise to fears whether they were trying to make fresh attempt to hijack planes for terrorists acts.
Four of them were taken out from a plane at JFK by a Swat team after all passengers were seated for a flight to Los Angles.
Both airports were closed almost immediately after they reopened to the limited traffic.
A passenger travelling to Los Angles from JFK, interviewed by a television network, said they were waiting for the plane to take off when they heard noise at the back and immediately, police took four men in handcuffs.
The incident scared the passengers but they were relieved that the men were apprehended before the plane took off.
Police were questioning the suspects but have not released the details.
Observers said these could be the groups whom the investigators were trying to locate. They had earlier been warned of possible attempts.
Reports said the four detained at JFK had open tickets bought on September 11, the day terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Officials were quoted as saying that they had multiple fake identification documents, knives and pilot certificates from Vero Beach-based Flight Safety International Certificates, one of the schools the hijackers had been trained in.
ABC television network said following the detention of four men, one woman was also detained for allegedly acting in a support role.
A little later, at La Guardia airport, police detained five people who too were reportedly having open tickets, knives and fake pilot licences.
The 18 terrorists who had crashed planes into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon had hijacked the planes using knives and then apparently took control and flew them deftly into their targets.
The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage
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