Two Moroccan men were taken off a flight that was diverted from its Paris-to-Washington route after officials determined one of the men was on the U.S. no-fly list.
Air France Flight 026 was diverted to Bangor on Saturday night and the two men were held at a local jail. They were taken to Massachusetts as officials investigated why the passenger was allowed to board the plane in Paris.
The second man held was traveling with the banned passenger.
Paula Grenier, spokeswoman for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, said the men would be expelled from the country within the next couple of days. She did not comment on why one of the men was on the no-fly list.
Officials at the Penobscot County Jail in Bangor where the men were held Saturday night identified them as Abdeluala Ahmed Lahiti, 47, and Mohammed Oukassou, 76.
The plane eventually flew on to Dulles International Airport, arriving more than two hours late.
Passengers, who were unaware there was a problem until they crossed into U.S. air space, said everything went smoothly though some were alarmed by the incident.
The plane, a Boeing 777, had 263 passengers on board, an Air France spokeswoman said.