US flight makes emergency landing
2011-10-19 12:26
-
Us
An old fashioned story by Mary Louisa Molesworth (1836-1921). The author of beloved children's...
Now R150.00
buy now
Amarillo - A man was arrested on Tuesday after his unruly behaviour aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Kansas City compelled the flight crew to make an emergency landing in Texas.
Ali Reza Shahsavari, 29, of Indialantic, Florida, has been charged with interfering with a flight crew, said Patrick Rhodes, Amarillo's aviation director. He was booked into the Randall County Jail in Canyon, Texas, where he awaited an appearance before a magistrate.
Flight 3683 landed without incident and the man was taken into custody for questioning by federal officials. None of the 136 passengers and five crew was injured, and the aircraft resumed its flight after a security sweep, said Brad Hawkins, spokesperson for the Dallas-based airline.
Initially, authorities said the man had tried to break into the cockpit but Rhodes later said he was "not trying to break into the cockpit, but was unruly and had confronted the cabin crew".
Passenger Doug Oerding told the Amarillo Globe-News that Shahsavari started screaming obscenities at other passengers during the flight. Flight attendants attempted to calm Shahsavari and then he went to the bathroom at the back of the plane and started making a commotion, Oerding said.
Terrorism
"All of us guys were looking at him like are we going to have to do something," Oerding said.
He said a flight attendant got Shahsavari to calm down. The flight landed and police officers came onto the plane and took him into custody, Oerding said.
Father Mohammad Shahsavari confirmed the suspect was his son and that he understood his son was well, but he did not know what led to the incident.
"I don't know what to say," he said from his home in Indialantic.
The FBI said initial indications were that the incident did not appear to be terrorism related. The passenger's identity was not immediately released.
"The FBI continues to investigate, but initial indications are that there was no terrorist intent. This guy is a US citizen," said FBI Special Agent Mark White in Dallas.
- SAPA
