A man pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat on a plane that was leaving Central Florida.
According to the plea agreement, on July 6, 2025, 27-year-old Taj Malik Taylor was a passenger on an aircraft en route from the Saint Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Central Florida.
The plane was in the air and had just left Saint Pete-Clearwater International Airport when Taylor stated out loud that his laptop was a bomb. Several passengers heard Taylor make this statement, and flight attendants were notified.
The flight crew rerouted the flight back to Saint Pete-Clearwater Airport because of Taylor’s statement.
Taj Taylor made the statement knowing that the information was false and with reckless disregard for the safety of human life.
At the time, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office K-9s searched Taylor’s belongings, and no bomb was found.
The flight was to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport in Virginia.
According to the Department of Justice, 27-year-old Taj Malik Taylor, of Madison Heights in Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of false information and making threats. The DOJ stated Taylor faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
In another Central Florida flight incident, a woman leaving Tampa International Airport interfered with flight attendants by assault and intimidation, and now she will face the consequences.
