Planes are being targeted with lasers when landing in Seattle. The FBI wants your help

The FBI is offering a hefty reward in exchange for information about people who it says have been pointing lasers at planes landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington.

In a Tweet, the agency said there have been over 100 instances of people pointing lasers at planes attempting to land at the airport since January. The FBI said it’s offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that can help them identify, arrest and convict the perpetrators.

Lasers pointed at planes can interfere with landing and pose a danger to “flight crew, passengers, and citizens within the local area,” the agency said in a news release. Such incidents have been reported in seven Seattle-area neighborhoods.

Pointing a laser at an airplane or other aircraft is a federal crime, the Federal Aviation Administration said on its website.

The FBI and FAA began tracking laser strikes in 2005 and have seen a “steady increase” in incidents where people deliberately target planes with handheld lasers over the years. In 2010, there were 2,836 such incidents reported, and by October 2021, there were 7,186 incidents reported during the year, according to a November news release from the FBI.

“An act that may be intended as fun or a prank could impair the pilots’ vision and potentially cause an accident,” the FBI said.

Anyone who has relevant information for the FBI is asked to report it to a local field office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. People can also submit tips at tips.fbi.gov or email the FAA at laserreports@faa.gov.

This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Planes are being targeted with lasers when landing in Seattle. The FBI wants your help."