College student with 9/11 conspiracy sticker forces delay of Boston flight

July 31, 2008 12:58 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

A former Worcester man was arraigned today on disorderly conduct charges after he allegedly slapped a 9/11 conspiracy sticker in a plane lavatory before running off the aircraft just before takeoff.

Jason Robo had boarded Delta flight 1165 for Salt Late City just after 5 p.m. Wednesday when the crew noticed he was acting nervously, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman. Robo was spotted entering one of the bathrooms, and, after he left, a crew member found what appeared to be a handmade sticker that read: "9/11 was an inside job.''

As other passengers continued boarding, Robo suddenly bolted off the aircraft. "I have to get off this plane,'' he allegedly said.

Police said that Robo's actions sparked a search that caused the plane to be delayed for three hours. He was arraigned in East Boston District Court on charges of interfering with aircraft operation, disorderly conduct, and disorderly conduct on a public conveyance. Robo was released without bail and ordered to return to court Aug. 19.

Police said additional stickers were found stuck to the fold-down tray where Robo was sitting in the plane, crumpled up on a nearby seat, and affixed to a public telephone at Gate 15 in Logan Airport.

After running off the plane, Robo was found by State Police inside the terminal near a baggage carousel. Passengers were removed from the plane, and a State Police bomb-sniffing dog checked the plane and all the baggage, he said. The flight eventually left Logan around 7:15 p.m., said Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella.

Robo, 26, told police he is a student at Humboldt State University living in Eureka, Calif. His birthplace is listed as Worcester.

"His behavior, in its totality, disrupted a flight crew and caused a climate of fear among passengers,'' Procopio said.