Comb mistaken for knife diverts American Air jet = = Wednesday September 11, 6:28 PM EDT = (Recasts with comb mistaken for weapon) HOUSTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A Dallas-bound American Airlines (AMR) jet r= eturned to Houston Intercontinental Airport shortly after takeoff on Wedn= esday after a flight attendant mistook a passenger's comb for a knife. The incident highlighted a national case of nerves prompted by the first = anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by hijacked commercial airliners in w= hich 3,044 people died, including the 19 hijackers. American Airlines Flight 1702 turned around shortly after takeoff from Ho= uston and flew back with an escort of two F-16 fighter jets, Houston airp= ort spokesman Ernie DeSoto said. "There were never any threats made or anything, but the pilot decided it = would be better to be safe than take a chance so he came back" after a fl= ight attendant reported spotting a possible weapon, he said. = Television reports showed the Fokker 100 jet with 50 passengers on board = taxiing to the terminal surrounded by Houston Police Department cars. Two men, who news reports said appeared to be of Arab descent, were taken= into custody for questioning while investigators swept through the plane= looking for a possible knife. Instead, said American Airlines spokesman Todd Burke, "The object has tur= ned out to be a folding comb." The two men were being interviewed while American prepared to fly the oth= er passengers to Dallas, he said. Burke said there were two federal air marshals on the flight. Two American Airlines jets were used by hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks= =2E One plowed into the north tower of New York's World Trade Center and = the other into the Pentagon near Washington. United Airlines (UAL) also lost two jets when hijackers flew one into the= World Trade Center's south tower and the other into a rural Pennsylvania= field. = =A92002 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS