US plane shooting 'consistent with marshal training'

Last updated at 15:43 08 December 2005


US air marshals who shot and killed an American Airlines passenger acted "consistent with their training" and an investigation will determine if any changes are needed in operating procedures, the White House has said.

Florida resident Rigoberto Alpizar, 44, was killed yesterday in Miami as he ran from an aircraft. Officials said he claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.

Witnesses said his wife, Anne, frantically tried to explain he was bipolar, a mental illness also known as manic-depression, and was off his medication.

The flight had arrived in Miami from Bogota, Colombia and was to continue on to Orlando.

"I don't think anyone wants to see it come to a situation like this, but these marshals appear to have acted in a way that is consistent with the extensive training that they have received," said

White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

He said the Department of Homeland Security was working with the FBI and police officials in Miami to determine what happened.

"Any time there's an investigation like this you learn lessons and then you apply those to future training and protocols. But it appears that the protocols that were in place were followed in this situation," McClellan said.

The incident at Miami International Airport was the first time an airplane passenger was shot by air marshals since the US marshals program was beefed up after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The Bush administration hired thousands of additional air marshals after September 11, when the nation had only 33. The exact number now is classified. Marshals fly undercover, and which planes they're on is a closely guarded secret.

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