An innocent Delta pilot was falsely detained in his Boston hotel room when the FBI busted into the wrong room during a training exercise.
an unnamed Delta pilot was sleeping in his rented room on the 15th floor of the Revere Hotel at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, when he was awoken by federal agents pounding on his door.
When the pilot, who is in his 30’s, opened the door, a herd of FBI and Department of Defense agents burst into the room.
They immediately handcuffed him to the shower stall and interrogated him for around 45-minutes, before determining the pilot was not the man they were looking for.
As it turns out, the federal agents weren’t looking for a dangerous suspect, just a cosplay criminal participating in a mock investigation.
The FBI’s Boston branch was assisting the DOD with a “training exercise at a hotel in Boston to simulate a situation their personnel might encounter in a deployed environment.”
“Based on inaccurate information, they were mistakenly sent to the wrong room and detained an individual, not the intended role player,” the FBI told CBS News in a statement.
“Thankfully nobody was injured.”
Once the crack team realized they had the wrong man, the released him and apologized.
Officers from the Boston police department were dispatched confirm that the team of federal agents were real government employees, and not hoaxers.
Emergency medical services also arrived on scene to evaluate the pilot for injuries, but he refused any form of treatment.
“Safety is always a priority of the FBI, and our law enforcement partners, and we take these incidents very seriously,” the FBI statement read.
“The Boston Division is reviewing the incident with DOD for further action as deemed appropriate.”
Reporters tried to get the pilot’s take on the incident, but he said that he needed to discuss the ordeal with the airline before making any comments.
“We are looking into reports of an alleged incident in Boston that may involve Delta people,” the airline said on Wednesday.
“We have nothing further to share at this time other than to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our people.”
“Congrats to the @FBIBoston field office for mistaking a random pilot with one of the Tier 1 Special Mission Unit guys they are supposed to track, apprehend, and interrogate,” tweeted former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin.
“This would be known as detention, kidnapping, and arrest without probable cause.”
The podcast host said that the FBI’s Boston field office has reportedly done this type of training “for years” with the Tier 1 Special Mission Unit.
He explained that the agents involved are supposed to use DOD techniques, rather than “FBI protocols” during the joint exercises.
“Until they screw it up and grab a random airline pilot,” Seraphin wrote. “Is someone going to lose a job for this ‘innocent mistake?'”
Twitter users mercilessly mocked the “incompetent” federal agencies for the dangerous gaff.
“The incompetent FBI strike again. Hope this Delta pilot gets a big check,” someone tweeted.
“So is the FBI having trouble recruiting competent people now, same as the military,” another mocked.
“The @FBI didn’t figure out it was the wrong guy until they put him in the shower?” One person questioned.
“’Two hours into the waterboarding, Jerry said, hey that’s not Bob.’”
“The @DNC’s FBI will track you across the country for speaking up at a PTA meeting but can’t get the right hotel room?” Someone else asked.
One Twitter user had a solid suggestion for how the federal agencies should respond to the embarrassing event.
“How about everyone in involved gets fired,” they posted. “That seems responsible.”