Man Plows SUV Into Maui Airport, Ignites Fire
Honolulu (March 1) - Thousands of departing passengers were stranded on the island of Maui for 10 hours on Sunday after a man drove his sport utility vehicle into the open-air ticket lobby and set the vehicle on fire, authorities said
Maui County police and the FBI said it was not an act of terrorism. No one was injured.
The 52-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested and remains in custody, police said.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning. The man drove his Dodge Durango up a handicap access ramp and into the lobby near the United Airlines ticket counter and then ignited a flammable liquid in the back seat, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the Hawaii State Department of Transportation.
'Because of the ensuing investigation, we had to shut down the airport to outgoing flights,' Ishikawa said. 'We could allow planes to arrive, but we couldn't allow passengers to depart because we couldn't screen them.'
Flights to the U.S. mainland as well as interisland flights resumed Sunday evening, Ishikawa said.
Maui County police and the FBI said it was not an act of terrorism. No one was injured.
The 52-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested and remains in custody, police said.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning. The man drove his Dodge Durango up a handicap access ramp and into the lobby near the United Airlines ticket counter and then ignited a flammable liquid in the back seat, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the Hawaii State Department of Transportation.
'Because of the ensuing investigation, we had to shut down the airport to outgoing flights,' Ishikawa said. 'We could allow planes to arrive, but we couldn't allow passengers to depart because we couldn't screen them.'
Flights to the U.S. mainland as well as interisland flights resumed Sunday evening, Ishikawa said.
