Southwest flight diverted over unruly passenger

A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Kansas City from Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas on Tuesday after a passenger became unruly, authorities and the airline said.

The passenger, 29-year-old Ali Reza Shahsavari, was removed from the plane at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport and taken into custody by the FBI, Patrick Rhodes, the airport's director of aviation, told Reuters.

There were no injuries or damage reported on board Flight 3683, Rhodes said, and authorities gave scant details on the nature of Shahsavari's behavior.

Rhodes said the Southwest Airlines flight was diverted based on an initial report that someone was trying to break into the cockpit, but that law enforcement later determined that there was no such attempt.

We had 136 passengers on board and one of those passengers became disruptive and our flight crew decided to land the aircraft, Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Ashley Dillon said.

Local authorities in Amarillo removed the passenger from the flight, and the flight took off to Kansas City without that passenger on board, she said, adding that the airline was working with local authorities on their investigation.

Rhodes said that Shahsavari, who gave his hometown as Atlantic, Florida, was facing charges of interfering with a flight crew.

A Transportation Safety Administration spokesman said law enforcement was questioning the passenger.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman referred calls seeking comment about the incident to the Transportation Safety Administration. Representatives for the FBI in Amarillo could not immediately be reached for comment.