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Mary Purcell Charged With Calling In Bomb Threat On Southwest Flight Day Before 9/11

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - Wanna get away? One Lake Ronkonkoma woman allegedly didn't want her relatives to on Saturday.

Mary Purcell, 37, wanted to keep her mother and brother from flying to New York the day before the Sept. 11 anniversary so she called an Arizona airport and falsely claimed a bomb was on board their flight, Federal authorities said Tuesday.

The FBI said Purcell called Tucson airport police twice to say she had overheard details of a bomb plot targeting a Southwest Airlines flight on Sept. 10. The threat led authorities at the airport to remove all the luggage from Flight 2475 and conduct a search.

No bomb was found.

The complaint against Purcell was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip, N.Y.  She was arraigned Tuesday and released on a $200,000 bond. Her brother and mother signed the bond.

If convicted, Purcell could face up to 10 years in prison.

What do you think her punishment should be if convicted? 

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