New York: Authorities detained two passengers aboard an Emirates airlines plane on Thursday at New York`s John F Kennedy International Airport after spotting a name similar to one on the "no-fly" list, then released them after it was determined it was a false match, officials said.
The Dubai-bound Flight 204 had begun taxiing from the runway at 1536 GMT when customs officials spotted the passenger`s name, top police spokesman Paul Browne said.
Authorities brought it back to the gate. A man and the woman were detained and taken off the flight but later were released and allowed back on the plane, two officials said.
The plane then left at 1651 GMT.
FBI spokesman James Margolin in New York said the callback of the airliner was a false alarm. An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn`t authorised to discuss the case, said there was no indication of a security threat.
The callback came less than a week after Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad managed to board an Emirates airliner at JFK despite being on the no-fly list. He was arrested on board, and since then the Obama administration has tightened the rules airlines must follow when using the no-fly list.
PTI
