Dutch authorities have arrested 12 passengers whose suspicious behavior aboard a U.S. airliner bound for India led the pilot to return the plane to Amsterdam under a fighter jet escort.
Witnesses aboard the flight say the individuals raised concern when they began passing mobile telephones among each other, and attempting to make calls as the Northwest Airlines DC-10 was taking off early Wednesday.
Dutch authorities say the 12 suspects are being questioned, and have not been charged with any crime. They were taken into custody shortly after the plane safely returned to Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport. The flight had been headed for the Indian city of Mumbai.
Authorities say the plane had just crossed into German airspace when the alert was sounded.
The flight was a little over one-half full, with 149 passengers. No injuries or disturbances are reported.
Wednesday's incident in The Netherlands comes two weeks after British authorities foiled a terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 commercial flights bound for the United States.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.