Free Republic

Flight passenger sent to mental hospital By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer Published: Tuesday, September 5, 2006 WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A woman whose actions aboard a London-to-Washington flight provoked a security scare will be held indefinitely at a residential mental health facility in New Hampshire, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Catherine Mayo, 59, of Braintree, Vt., has been in federal custody since Aug. 17, when United Flight 923 was diverted to Boston after Mayo urinated on the floor of the cabin and made statements that the pilot and crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks....

A Vermont woman whose bizarre behavior forced a Washington, D.C.-bound plan to make a dramatic landing in Boston yesterday was thought to be a diversion for a “possible terrorist attack,” according to an FBI affidavit released today. One of two male passengers - either a U.S. air marshal and a correction officer - whose help was solicited by the flight crew “had become concerned that she might be acting as a diversion for a possible terrorist action,” according to the affidavit. During the flight, Catherine Carse Mayo, 59, made reference to United Flight 93, one of the four planes hijacked...

BRAINTREE, Vt. --An enigma on Flight 923, Catherine Mayo was a mystery in her small Vermont town, too. Mayo, 59, caused a major scare when she passed notes to crew members, urinated on the floor and made cryptic remarks to crew members on the London-to-Washington, D.C., flight. Her attorney, federal public defender Page Kelley, said Mayo was "just barely lucid" when they spoke. "She's got some very serious mental health problems," said Kelley.

A self-described peace activist responsible for the diversion of a London-to-Washington flight Wednesday acted bizarrely for hours, made references to al Qaeda and hijack training flights, and was restrained by two passengers after she urinated in the aisle. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, a Vermont woman who also lives part time in Pakistan, was charged yesterday in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. United Flight 923 was forced to make an emergency landing at Boston's Logan International Airport under escort by two military jets. "She's got some very serious mental health problems," said Page Kelley, Mrs. Mayo's attorney, who...

Described as a “crazy lady” by her own attorney, a Vermont peace activist whose bizarre behavior forced the dramatic landing of a trans-Atlantic plane in Boston Wednesday has serious mental problems and had been vacationing in Pakistan since March. Wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt, baggy pants and white socks, a long-haired Catherine C. Mayo, 59, appeared in federal court yesterday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew on United 932 as it flew from London’s Heathrow Airport to Washington, D.C. If convicted, Mayo faces up to 20 years behind bars. Her lawyer, Page Kelley, said Mayo has a...

A self-described peace activist responsible for the diversion of a London-to-Washington flight Wednesday acted bizarrely for hours, made references to al Qaeda and hijack training flights, and was restrained by two passengers after she urinated in the aisle. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, a Vermont woman who also lives part time in Pakistan, was charged yesterday in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. United Flight 923 was forced to make an emergency landing at Boston's Logan International Airport under escort by two military jets. "She's got some very serious mental health problems," said Page Kelley, Mrs. Mayo's attorney, who...

It was March 2003, the eve of the US invasion of Iraq, and into the office of dumbfounded Pakistani newspaper editor Najam Sethi walked an articulate, fresh-faced Vermont woman, saying she wanted to vent her anger at America in his pages. Violence-plagued Lahore teemed with anti-American sentiment, yet Catherine C. Mayo seemed to move about with ease, Sethi recalled. And writing for the Daily Times of Pakistan, Mayo told about her 1960s activism. About her love of Cat Stevens and Howard Dean. About the mountains and lakes of her native Vermont. And about her shame and anger at America.

AN AMERICAN IN PAKISTAN: To the Guantanamo Bay inmates Catherine MayoBush has redefined justice. Justice is Guantanamo Bay. It is efficient, uncomplicated, a vast improvement over the old unwieldy system of juries, representation, appeals I apologise for what my government has done to you. I know that you are suffering the worst possible traumas that humans can endure — humiliations, tortures, interrogations, no freedom of movement, no comfort while sleeping, no hope. You have been thrown away, while still alive, by people who don’t want to think about you. The rest of the world cares, other peoples in other nations...

BOSTON-- A woman on a trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Boston for security concerns passed several notes to crew members, urinated on the cabin floor and made comments the crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to an affidavit filed Thursday. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, of Braintree, Vt., was to appear in federal court later Thursday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew after disrupting United 923 as it flew from London to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The flight, with 182 passengers and 12 crew members, landed safely with the escort of two F-15s...

Woman on diverted flight 'barely lucid' By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer 50 minutes ago A woman on a trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Boston for security concerns passed several notes to crew members, urinated on the cabin floor and made comments the crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to an affidavit filed Thursday. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, of Braintree, Vt., appeared in federal court Thursday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew on United 923 as it flew from London to Washington, D.C., Wednesday. She was dressed in a Rolling Stones T-shirt,...

Here is information I obtained that was provided to Federal Air Marshals, regarding yesterday's diverted London-to-Washington flight, featuring the "disturbed" woman--hardly a ringing endorsement of airport passenger screening at London Heathrow Airport, less than a week after Operation Bojinka 2 was foiled (she can take screwdrivers, but no lipstick for us): The passenger in question had these possessions on her person according to CounterTerrorist Intel: Per CBP/NTC [Customs & Border Protection/National Targeting Center], the subject involved in the incident that occurred onboard UA 923 LHR-IAD was found with several objects on her person when she was taken off the aircraft...

BOSTON (AP) — A woman on a trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Boston for security concerns passed several notes to crew members, urinated on the cabin floor and made comments the crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to an affidavit filed Thursday. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, of Braintree, Vt., was to appear in federal court later Thursday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew after disrupting United 923 as it flew from London to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The flight, with 182 passengers and 12 crew members, landed safely with the escort of...

(CBS4) BOSTON Criminal charges could be filed Thursday against a Vermont woman who caused a disturbance aboard a London-to-Virginia jet that was diverted to Logan Airport. 59-year-old Catherine Mayo is being held by federal authorities in Boston. Investigators say she was a claustrophobic passenger who became upset and interfered with the flight crew on United Airlines flight 923 Wednesday morning. The pilot declared an in-flight emergency and landed the plane at Logan. The Boeing 767 was escorted by two F-15 jets based out of Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. Passengers say Mayo paced the aisles and peppered...