A federal grand jury has indicted a Hawaii man on charges he lied to authorities when he said a possible hijacker was aboard an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle.

Timothy David Hershman faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Last month the FBI said a caller reported a possible hijacker aboard a Jan. 17 flight from Kailua-Kona.

The call prompted the Oregon Air National Guard to scramble two F-15 jets to escort the flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Authorities took a passenger off the plane for questioning. They decided the call was a hoax after talking to him for nearly two hours.

A message left at a phone number listed for Hershman was not immediately returned.

The indictment was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Wednesday.