This seems like a hoax. Then again, I'm not sure why someone would make something like this up:

A passenger aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle Wednesday is accused of making a bomb threat that caused pilots to land the plane in Spokane, Washington.

Documents filed in U.S. District Court said Brandon Scott, 38, claimed he made the threat because members or a "powerful cartel" were under orders to kill him when he arrived in Seattle, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported. Scott faces a false information and hoaxes charge.

Now, hold on a second: Was it "false information?" If it was, yeah, lock the dude up. But was a cartel really waiting for him in Seattle? Because that would be a pretty big deal if so!

Scott reportedly handed a flight attendant a note that said he had "several pounds of homemade explosives" in his carry-on bag, and that if the flight crew didn't obey his orders, he would "detonate the explosives and kill everyone on board."

That didn't happen, of course. The plane landed Spokane, with Scott promising to surrender peacefully to authorities upon arrival. He and his luggage were both searched, and no explosives were found.

Scott is facing five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.