Canadian fighters shadow New York-bound airliner

Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Canadian fighters shadowed a New York-bound Air India jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after authorities determined that a suspicious passenger was aboard, U.S. government officials said.

The commercial plane, flying from London to New York, apparently would be allowed to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. fighters were expected to escort the plane once it entered U.S. airspace, the officials said. It was believed to be carrying 378 passengers and 19 crew members.

It was not immediately clear what caused the concern about the passenger, but the officials said Federal Aviation Administration authorities had spoken to members of the Air India crew, who were in a reinforced cockpit and indicated they were not alarmed.

The jetliner was being shadowed from a distance, not escorted, so the passengers would not see the Canadian fighters, the officials said.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a screener in London thought one of the passengers resembled someone on a list given to civil aviation authorities of suspected terrorists and others who are not allowed on airplanes.

The person in question was traveling under a different name than the one under the picture that looked like him, the official said. The screener mentioned his suspicion to someone else after the plane took off, and was interviewed by British law enforcement officials.

The North American Air Defense Command -- NORAD -- was monitoring an Air India flight from London to JFK, NORAD spokesman Maj. Barry Venable said.

FBI spokesman Joseph Valiquette said federal agents would meet the flight at JFK, but declined to comment further. FBI officials in Washington said there is a person on board "we want to talk to."

Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the FAA's New York regional office, confirmed only the arrival time of Air India Flight 101 and referred all questions to the FBI.

"There is no problem with the flight," said Lulu Iphraim, an official with the airline in New York. "We've had no official information whatsoever. We've checked and there's absolutely no news about this."

------EDITOR'S NOTE -- Associated Press military writer Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this story.