"Fighter Escort"
I agree wholeheartedly with the above posts that itis ludicrous to keep pax on an aircraft that may have an explosive device on board.
However, regarding the "escort", could it be that at least part of their purpose is in case there is an explosion, so that they can be on hand to assist - either to help a damaged aicraft (loss of some controls, external damage inspection, or maybe nav-aids problem) get down safely. Or in the worst scenario, to ensure that the point of arrival on the ground is marked and quick/easy to locate by the emergency services.