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Mad Mary Purcell was so worried about her mom and brother flying to New York on the eve of 9/11, she tried to ground their flight, by twice phoning in bomb threats.
The loony loser ex-con claimed there were explosives on the Southwest Airlines plane they were taking from Arizona, sparking a huge security response at Tuscon International Airport.
John Ivanoff, chief of the Tuscon Airport Authority Police told the NY Post: “We felt that it was a credible threat. “We were already at a heightened state of alert [because of the 9/11 anniversary threats], but more manpower was needed.”
He added that bomb sniffing dogs had been called in to re-screen luggage and passengers.
The FBI quickly traced the threatening calls to a land-line phone registered to Margaret Meyer’s home in Lake Ronkonkoma, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit for Purcell.
When they caught up with her she tried to claim she had called Southwest Airlines to ask why the flight was delayed, and “whether there was a terror or bomb threat,” the affidavit said.
“Southwest Airlines would not inform her the reason for the delay, so she twice hung up.”
Later she admitted that she had called Tucson Airport Authority Police directly and “stated that she overheard her boyfriend and his friends talking about carrying out a bombing of Flight 2475 when it got to New York."
“She warned them not to let Flight 2475 depart; and she stated there was a bomb,” the warrant continued.
“And she had made up the story because she did not want her mother and brother flying around the anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks."
Purcell’s mom and brother, Mary and William Meyer, who appeared to have no knowledge of the bomb threat.
Chief Ivanov added: “They were baffled,”
The plane departed about 10 minutes late.
Purcell, who is on parole for a forgery conviction, appeared in federal court in Central Islip, LI, yesterday and was released on a $200,000 bond secured by the collateral of her home.
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