Narrative:

During boarding, I was setting up the aft galley. After boarding passenger from the terminal, my co-worker came on board at departure and came back to the aft galley and mentioned that the passenger in the last row, last seat (xf) sitting by himself, was strange and had gotten into an argument with the agent before boarding. Since we were waiting for connecting bags, I went to collect magazines from the overhead bin (opposite this passenger's seat) to pass out. I could hear him talking, but could not understand what he was saying. I turned to him and asked if he was talking to me and if I could help him. At this point he started a conversation with me, asking how I was trained in regards to recognizing if a passenger is nervous, and how to leave the area right away, as in how cia training is done. He continued on to say how he could recognize nervous behavior and that he thought I was nervous. I replied that I was not nervous, but just passing out magazines. He asked, 'what if a passenger was nervous or if there was a bomb?' I asked him if he was nervous or if he knew anything about a bomb. He quickly denied both and tried to pass off the conversation. I finished my conversation with him and decided to report this situation to the captain. As I reached the cockpit, we just started to push back and the #1 flight attendant encouraged me to break sterile cockpit and tell the captain what had transpired. I entered the cockpit and informed the captain of the situation. The captain confirmed with me that the passenger talked about a bomb and we immediately returned to the gate and had him removed. The passenger around him in X abc and def were relieved. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that after the man had boarded, he sat in his seat, talking to himself very loudly and looking around the plane observing everything closely. Occasionally, he'd stand up. In the conversation with the reporter, when he mentioned the cia, he implied that he was also trained by them. After the reporter told the captain, she went to the back of the plane and he yelled at her, 'your behavior is inappropriate.' once they were back at the gate, she was called forward to talk to her airline security, and they wanted her to get him off. She replied that she needed someone with more authority/authorized to accompany her. A company security man went back with her, but the passenger refused to budge when she requested him to gather his belongings and leave. A miami policeman arrived at the seat and grabbed the guy's bag and the man finally got off the plane. The security person told the reporter later that the guy was really mentally unstable.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B737, MIA-YUL. STRANGE ACTING PAX ON BOARDING. AFTER PUSHBACK, TAXI, PAX MENTIONED 'BOMB.' CAPT RETURNED TO GATE. PAX REMOVED BY POLICE.

Narrative: DURING BOARDING, I WAS SETTING UP THE AFT GALLEY. AFTER BOARDING PAX FROM THE TERMINAL, MY CO-WORKER CAME ON BOARD AT DEP AND CAME BACK TO THE AFT GALLEY AND MENTIONED THAT THE PAX IN THE LAST ROW, LAST SEAT (XF) SITTING BY HIMSELF, WAS STRANGE AND HAD GOTTEN INTO AN ARGUMENT WITH THE AGENT BEFORE BOARDING. SINCE WE WERE WAITING FOR CONNECTING BAGS, I WENT TO COLLECT MAGAZINES FROM THE OVERHEAD BIN (OPPOSITE THIS PAX'S SEAT) TO PASS OUT. I COULD HEAR HIM TALKING, BUT COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYING. I TURNED TO HIM AND ASKED IF HE WAS TALKING TO ME AND IF I COULD HELP HIM. AT THIS POINT HE STARTED A CONVERSATION WITH ME, ASKING HOW I WAS TRAINED IN REGARDS TO RECOGNIZING IF A PAX IS NERVOUS, AND HOW TO LEAVE THE AREA RIGHT AWAY, AS IN HOW CIA TRAINING IS DONE. HE CONTINUED ON TO SAY HOW HE COULD RECOGNIZE NERVOUS BEHAVIOR AND THAT HE THOUGHT I WAS NERVOUS. I REPLIED THAT I WAS NOT NERVOUS, BUT JUST PASSING OUT MAGAZINES. HE ASKED, 'WHAT IF A PAX WAS NERVOUS OR IF THERE WAS A BOMB?' I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS NERVOUS OR IF HE KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT A BOMB. HE QUICKLY DENIED BOTH AND TRIED TO PASS OFF THE CONVERSATION. I FINISHED MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND DECIDED TO RPT THIS SIT TO THE CAPT. AS I REACHED THE COCKPIT, WE JUST STARTED TO PUSH BACK AND THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT ENCOURAGED ME TO BREAK STERILE COCKPIT AND TELL THE CAPT WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED. I ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED THE CAPT OF THE SIT. THE CAPT CONFIRMED WITH ME THAT THE PAX TALKED ABOUT A BOMB AND WE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE GATE AND HAD HIM REMOVED. THE PAX AROUND HIM IN X ABC AND DEF WERE RELIEVED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE MAN HAD BOARDED, HE SAT IN HIS SEAT, TALKING TO HIMSELF VERY LOUDLY AND LOOKING AROUND THE PLANE OBSERVING EVERYTHING CLOSELY. OCCASIONALLY, HE'D STAND UP. IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR, WHEN HE MENTIONED THE CIA, HE IMPLIED THAT HE WAS ALSO TRAINED BY THEM. AFTER THE RPTR TOLD THE CAPT, SHE WENT TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE AND HE YELLED AT HER, 'YOUR BEHAVIOR IS INAPPROPRIATE.' ONCE THEY WERE BACK AT THE GATE, SHE WAS CALLED FORWARD TO TALK TO HER AIRLINE SECURITY, AND THEY WANTED HER TO GET HIM OFF. SHE REPLIED THAT SHE NEEDED SOMEONE WITH MORE AUTH TO ACCOMPANY HER. A COMPANY SECURITY MAN WENT BACK WITH HER, BUT THE PAX REFUSED TO BUDGE WHEN SHE REQUESTED HIM TO GATHER HIS BELONGINGS AND LEAVE. A MIAMI POLICEMAN ARRIVED AT THE SEAT AND GRABBED THE GUY'S BAG AND THE MAN FINALLY GOT OFF THE PLANE. THE SECURITY PERSON TOLD THE RPTR LATER THAT THE GUY WAS REALLY MENTALLY UNSTABLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.