On Sep. 25, Panama police arrested six Syrians and one Cuban on suspicion of attempting to hijack a Panamanian flight, but aviation authorities have played down the incident as a misunderstanding.

The alarm was raised by crew onboard COPA flight 231 from Cuba at 11 a.m. local time, when they realized that a knife was missing from the metal utensils after breakfast in the first class cabin.

The seven passengers were arrested after landing at Panama City's Tocumen International Airport. The flight was transferred to a quarantine hangar after landing.

Police were investigating whether the Syrians tried to open the cockpit door with the knife.

Rolando Mirones, head of the national police, said the suspects did not commit any violent acts inside the airplane.

"None of these people committed a violent act against the crew or passengers but they behaved suspiciously and tried to approach the cabin," he said.

Panama Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Victor de la Hoz dismissed the police's suspicions, saying the Syrians wanted the knife as a souvenir. Knives are banned on aircraft for security reasons.

"This is not a hijacking," said de la Hoz.

De la Hoz said the crew simply notified the authorities on the ground that a knife was missing from where the seven passengers were sitting.