U.S. fighter jets escort plane with cargo from Yemen

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - A commercial airliner carrying cargo from Yemen was being escorted from the Canadian border to New York City by two military fighter jets, U.S. officials said.

The officials said there is no known threat associated with the plane, but it was being escorted to John F. Kennedy International Airport as a cautionary move.

Authorities on Friday were investigating whether suspicious packages shipped aboard cargo planes from Yemen to the U.S. were part of a terrorist plot.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said the plane was being met at JFK by FBI and Port Authority police. He said the action was being taken solely because the plane was carrying cargo from Yemen.

John Cornelia, a spokesman for U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command, said the airliner was escorted by a Canadian fighter to the U.S. border, where two U.S. fighters took over.

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