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Judge orders mental exam in flight diversion

A federal magistrate judge has ordered a competency examination for a Florida man accused of causing a trans-Atlantic flight to be diverted to Maine.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A federal magistrate judge has ordered a competency examination for a Florida man accused of causing a trans-Atlantic flight to be diverted to Maine.

Magistrate Margaret Kravchuk on Friday granted a defense request for the examination. In doing so, she also delayed a detention hearing scheduled for Monday for 26-year-old Derek Stansberry.

The FBI says Delta Air Lines Flight 273 from Paris to Atlanta was forced to land in Bangor, Maine, on Tuesday because Stansberry claimed he had a false passport and dynamite. It turns out that there were no explosives, and Stansberry's passport was valid.

Stansberry is charged with false information and threats, and interfering with a flight crew. The Air Force veteran is from Riverview, Fla.