Federal authorities are providing new details after a person was mistakenly detained during a federal training exercise at a Boston hotel Tuesday night in which participants went to the wrong room, according to the FBI.
The person in custody was an airline pilot staying at the hotel, sources told investigators from our sister network NBC10 Boston. They said the pilot was handcuffed and questioned. The training exercise occurred at the Revere Hotel and was a Department of Defense effort. The FBI’s Boston Division was helping.
The training team enters the wrong room.
A statement from the US Army Special Operations Command to the Associated Press said the training was intended to “enhance soldiers’ abilities to operate in realistic and unfamiliar environments,” adding that the training team entered the hotel room wrong and stopped someone who was not involved with the exercise.
“The Boston Police Department responded to the scene and confirmed that this was indeed a training exercise,” Lt. Col. Mike Burns said in a statement to the AP. “The safety of civilians in the vicinity of our training is always our primary concern. We are reviewing this serious incident with our partners and no further details will be released at this time.”
The Department of Defense, in a statement to NBC10 Boston, said it routinely conducts training exercises with law enforcement agencies, referring further information requests to the US Army’s Special Operations Command.
‘Security is always an FBI priority’
The FBI statement on the incident, part of a Defense Department training exercise, on Wednesday provided no information on who was detained other than that they were not the person intended or for how long. An FBI representative said no one was hurt and Boston police were called to confirm it was a training exercise.
“Security is always a priority of the FBI and our law enforcement partners, and we take these incidents very seriously,” the FBI statement said. “The Boston Division is reviewing the incident with DOD for further action as deemed appropriate.”
Sources said two Delta pilots were staying in the 15th-floor room at the Revere Hotel that officers entered after calling, and that at least one was handcuffed in the bathroom.
NBC10 Boston has contacted the pilot who was detained; A Delta representative said the airline was investigating reports of an incident that may have involved his staff.