'My laptop is a bomb': Florida man's alleged mid-flight bomb threat forces emergency landing — now the FBI is involved

A Florida man — who allegedly told authorities that he was recently released from a mental health facility — made a bomb threat mid-flight that forced the commercial airliner to make an emergency landing, according to police.

At 1:48 p.m. on Sunday, Allegiant Air flight 1023 departed from Florida's St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport en route to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport in Virginia, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

The suspect reportedly told investigators that he took his medication on Saturday night but had been 'suffering from a lack of clarity.'

Shortly after the plane lifted off, a passenger seated in the last row of the plane allegedly announced that he had a bomb in his laptop.

According to an FBI affidavit obtained by USA Today, the suspect — identified as 27-year-old Taj Malik Taylor from Largo, Florida — told the passenger next to him, "My laptop is a bomb."

When several passengers asked Taylor what he meant by his remark, he allegedly lifted his laptop case and kept reiterating that it was a bomb.

A passenger notified the flight crew about the alarming bomb threat.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, "On July 6, 2025, at approximately 2:03 p.m., deputies were alerted to a verbal bomb threat made by a passenger on Allegiant flight 1023, headed to Roanoke, Virginia."

According to police, "Detectives say several other witnesses on the plane also heard Taylor state that he had a bomb."

The commercial airliner was rerouted back to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and landed at 2:08 p.m.

An Allegiant Air spokesperson told USA Today, "Allegiant does not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, so the decision was made to return to the airport. The plane landed safely and was met by law enforcement officers, who took the passenger into custody."

The airline added, "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers and thank them for their patience."

K-9s with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office searched Taylor's belongings, but no bomb was found.

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All of the other passengers and crew were also forced to exit the plane. The Allegiant Air flight didn't arrive in Virginia until 7:57 p.m. — roughly five hours later than scheduled.

Taylor was removed from the plane and interrogated by authorities.

"Taylor did not admit to making the bomb threats but stated that [the woman sitting next to him aboard the flight] was rude to him," the FBI affidavit said, according to Fox News.

"Taylor stated that he was recently released from a mental health facility," the affidavit reads.

The suspect reportedly told investigators that he took his medication on Saturday night but had been "suffering from a lack of clarity."

The affidavit accused Taylor of acting "willfully and maliciously with reckless disregard for the safety of human life."

Taylor was arrested and charged with making a false bomb threat. If convicted, Taylor faces a fine of up to $25,000, a prison sentence of up to five years, or both.

According to arrest records, Taylor was transferred into the custody of the U.S. Marshals on Monday.

The FBI is leading the investigation, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Taylor appeared for his initial hearing in Tampa federal court on Monday afternoon.

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