Law enforcement officials are looking into whether the passenger is actually a suspected terrorist listed on the government's no-fly list.
An airline is not supposed to issue a boarding pass to a person on the no-fly list. It was not immediately clear which airline was involved.
According to an internal government report, the flight originated in Newark and was bound for Bogota, Colombia. It was diverted to Jacksonville International Airport.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the incident.
