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Airline passenger gets probation for fake threat

56-year-old man told off-duty pilot he had five pounds of explosives in bags

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updated 11:18 a.m. ET April 21, 2009

DENVER - A man accused of telling an off-duty Northwest Airlines pilot that he had explosives in his carry-on bag was sentenced to four years probation for making false threats.

Federal investigators said the Northwest Airlines plane was backing away from a gate at Denver International Airport last year when 56-year-old Mark Randall Rayborn grabbed his bag and told the pilot seated next to him that he had five pounds of explosives that security screeners had missed.

The flight was delayed for four hours as bomb-sniffing dogs searched the plane and the 140 passengers were screened again.

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Investigators said Rayborn was drunk at the time he made the statement. He was sentenced in federal court Monday.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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