The incident on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii could have had serious repercussions. There were a total of 181 passengers and six crew members on board the flight and the unruly passenger was a 25-year-old from Turkey. He wanted to go to the pilot’s cabin with his laptop and had to be forcibly restrained. He was tackled by passengers and flight attendants and duct-taped to his seat until the flight landed in Honolulu, where Federal agents arrested him. In lieu of the emergency, two United States fighter jets escorted the flight as well.
How the incident unfolded
The Los Angeles Times reports that the trouble with the unruly passenger started before the actual departure of the flight. He was apparently arrested at the airport because of some of his actions that appeared strange and not above board. According to the police, he had been drinking and he was arrested and asked to appear in court but was permitted to proceed to Honolulu, a six hour flight.
However, halfway through the flight, he began to behave in an odd and suspicious manner. He was holding on to his laptop and had something like a towel or blanket over his head. He tried to go toward the pilot’s cabin when one of the flight attendants blocked his path and passengers rushed in to bring him under control.
They finally duct-taped him to his seat and sought help from the ground staff. The Federal agents stepped in and fighter aircraft from the Hawaii Air National Guard scrambled to meet the plane, while the FBI was in Honolulu to take him into custody.
Was it a prelude to a terror attack?
There are fears that terrorists have drawn up plans to carry out attacks in the air by using laptops on commercial flights and in anticipation, the United States and Britain have already imposed bans on carrying electronic devices like laptops as cabin baggage in flights headed for the United States.
The ban has inconvenienced some passengers but such strong action was necessary to ensure safety.
On this particular flight, the unruly man had a laptop, was behaving in an abnormal manner, and was trying to force his way into the pilot’s cabin. The authorities have been made aware of the midair incident and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is believed to be monitoring all flights as a precautionary measure. Fear of terror attacks is an aspect of life that is becoming difficult to ignore, and all concerned must remain stay alert for any tell-tale signs.
