United flight returns to Las Vegas after passenger security concern

United Airlines Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying about 150 passengers and six crew members, departed Harry Reid International Airport for Newark on Saturday night but returned to Las Vegas after the crew identified a potential security concern in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely at approximately 11:05 p.m. without injuries, but the incident caused an overnight delay because the flight crew exceeded their legally permitted duty time.

United Airlines said the flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout and later departed for Newark the following morning. In an air-traffic-control audio recording obtained by ATC.com, a controller asked whether the passenger was "compliant or restrained," and a pilot reported that a flight attendant had seen the passenger texting a threat to hijack the aircraft, prompting a lockdown. The pilot later indicated the passenger was compliant because he was unaware of the situation.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is opening an investigation into the incident. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of making threats or providing false information about terrorist acts; he was booked at the Clark County Detention Center.

The pilot also informed controllers that the aircraft was "grossly overweight" and needed to burn fuel before landing, leading the plane to circle the airport twice to reduce weight, according to flight-tracking data. United previously reported a similar security-related diversion in May, when a flight bound for Minneapolis returned to Madison, Wisconsin, after a passenger attempted to breach the cockpit.