A BLACKBURN worker has relived the terrifying moment the plane she was on made an emergency landing after a suspected terrorist was discovered on board.

Lorna Newton, 18, was five hours into her flight from Manchester to Chicago on Friday when the plane was diverted.

Lorna, a benefits assessor for Capita, Blackburn, was travelling with boyfriend Glen, 22, on route to see his parents in Fort Worth, Texas.

And Lorna said she was in compete shock when she looked out of her passenger window to see two US F-16 military fighter planes escorting the plane down to an airbase in Maine - two and half hours away from Chicago.

It followed a tip off from the US Transportation Security Administration that a passenger - sitting 10 rows in front of the couple - was on a government no fly' list.

Speaking to The Telegraph from Fort Worth, she said: "We were around five hours into the eight and half hour flight to Chicago when the pilot suddenly announced we were making an emergency landing as one of the air hostesses had been taken ill.

"I looked out the window and could see a fighter jet alongside the plane, and there was another the other side and we were all thinking What's going on?'.

"When we landed there were no emergency equipment for the so-called ill air steward but we were surrounded by the FBI, sniffer dogs and it was really scary."

She added: "In the airport we were all interrogated and shown a picture of the Asian suspect who was sitting 10 rows in front of us."

After several hours the couple were able to reboard the plane and arrived in Texas via Chicago around 10 hours later than planned.