NEED TO KNOW
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An American Airlines flight carrying four congress members made an emergency landing on Tuesday
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According to Rep. Greg Stanton on X, he was on the plane with fellow representatives Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar
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A Kansas City, Mo.’s city spokesperson shared with PEOPLE that police were requested to remove a passenger from the flight
An American Airlines flight reportedly carrying four U.S. congressmen was forced to make an emergency landing on Tuesday.
According to FlightAware, American flight 1218 departed Phoenix for Washington D.C., around 2:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 11. More than two hours into the trip, the plane made an emergency diversion to Kansas City International Airport.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) wrote on X that he was on the flight, along with his Republican colleagues from Arizona including congressmen Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar.
“We’re making [an] emergency stop in Kansas City to remove [a] disruptive passenger,” Stanton wrote. “None of my colleagues is the disruptor.”
Fellow X user Adam Burtner claims he was on the same flight as the lawmakers. In a video shared by the passenger, police officers are seen escorting a woman in a red coat off the plane.
“Sorry folks, we live in a fascist state,” the woman says as she exits the aircraft.
In a follow-up post, Burtner claims the woman said: “I took a picture of someone and they didn’t want me to tweet it,” referring to one of the congressmen on board.
Joe Raedle/Getty
An American Airlines plane
“After 43 days of the [Chuck] Schumer shutdown causing countless air traffic delays and cancellations, I can understand how a passenger might get a tad squirrelly,” Rep. Gosar said in an email statement to PEOPLE.
The Kansas City Police Department deferred to a city spokesperson for comment. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the representative confirmed airport police were asked to escort the passenger off the flight.
“The individual was not arrested and later escorted back to the ticket counter area to book another flight,” the spokesperson said. However, no details were shared as to why a removal was requested.
In a later post, Stanton wrote, “On a serious note, thank you Kansas City police for handling the situation professionally and without incident.”
American Airlines also confirmed the incident. In a statement shared with local outlet KSHB, the airline said, “Law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later re-departed for DCA, where it landed normally.”
They added: “We thank our customers for their patience and our crew members for their professionalism.”
According to FlightAware, the flight arrived in Washington D.C., around 10:01 p.m. local time. ‘
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All four Arizona representatives made it to the nation’s capital on time to vote on ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, per the Washington Post.
The measure passed in a 222-209 vote on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with six Democrats joining the Republican majority. Two Republicans joined the remaining Democrats in voting no.
Read the original article on People
