The Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) has begun questioning the man on a jetliner bound from Paris to Miami who tried to ignite an "improvised explosive" in his sneakers. The suspect, taken into custody by the FBI, was to be charged with interfering with a flight crew, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Authorities were investigating whether the man used a bogus passport with the fake identity "Richard Reid." An FBI official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man wasn't of Middle Eastern descent, contrary to earlier speculation.
"They X-rayed the shoe and found that in the heel, there were holes drilled, and there looked to be a detonator wire, and the substances consistent with (the explosive) C-4," said Massport spokeswoman Laura White.
The shoe was taken from the 767 jetliner, rendered harmless and taken to an FBI lab, along with the man's other shoe, officials said.
Kinton said the shoe contained an "improvised explosive." But the FBI was continuing to examine the substance to see whether it was an explosive, according to a government official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bureau Report