An Emirates flight to Newark from Athens, Greece, was turned around Thursday after security officials received a tip about a possible attack, a senior law enforcement official familiar with the situation told NBC New York.
The tip about a Turkish man trying to travel to the U.S. to carry some sort of attack was not considered substantiated, but the pilots were told to return to Athens as a precaution, according to the source.
The would-be passenger was questioned by U.S. officials at the embassy and released; the man then tried to obtain travel papers to the U.S., but was denied, a senior law enforcement official said. The man in question never boarded the plane, and has been told he cannot travel to the U.S. as the threat is investigated.
Officials at Athens airport said flight 209 to Newark Airport had returned to Athens and landed safely. Other details were not immediately available.
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The second Emirates flight, which had been bound for Dubai, was stopped in Athens before takeoff.
