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Northwest jet turns back; passengers arrestedAirline: Passengers unlatched seat belts, passed cell phones
 The Northwest Airlines DC-10 sits on the ramp at Schiphol Airport. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSAMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (CNN) -- Twelve passengers were in custody Wednesday after a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Mumbai, India, returned to Amsterdam with a fighter jet escort, Dutch police said. They have not been formally charged, police said. But an airport policeman said authorities have enough information to hold the 12 for at least three days. Flight 42 returned to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport "after several passengers displayed behavior of concern," Northwest Airlines said in a written statement. In a recording of communications between the pilot and air traffic controllers circulated among Dutch media, the pilot is asked if he wants fire trucks on the runway when he lands, The Associated Press reported. "No, sir," he replied, according to the AP. Some of the passengers pulled out cell phones during the flight and appeared to be trying to pass the cell phones to other passengers, a U.S. government official said. In addition, some passengers unfastened their seatbelts while the light requiring they be fastened was still illuminated, the official said. That was enough for U.S. air marshals aboard the DC-10 to break their cover. Flight attendants ordered the passengers to heed the orders of the marshals, the official added. There was no intelligence indicating the flight was at risk, and authorities are still evaluating how much of a threat the passengers posed, officials said. The passengers who were arrested were looking into plastic bags and were busy with their cell phones, an airline source in Amsterdam said. The spokesman said the 12 -- whose identities have not been made public -- face preliminary charges, but did not elaborate. "The flight returned to Amsterdam and landed normally. Northwest is cooperating with the appropriate government officials," the Northwest statement said. The flight, which originated in Northwest's main hub of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota a day earlier, returned to Schiphol around noon (6 a.m. ET), about half an hour after it had left the airport, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said. A spokeswoman for Schiphol Airport said the pilot made the request to return to Amsterdam. There were 149 passengers on board, Northwest said. Flight 42 will be rescheduled for Thursday. Security has been heightened at airports worldwide after police thwarted an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights using liquid explosives. The alleged plot, which was uncovered by British authorities August 10, involved flights from Britain to the United States. The Federal Air Marshal Service does not divulge which flights are patrolled by air marshals. In general, federal air marshals do not identify themselves to passengers if they believe the crew can handle a situation without assistance. Journalist Marijn Tebbens and CNN's Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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