By KGW
Updated Feb. 23, 10:25 a.m. ET --
PORTLAND --?A flight out of Portland International Airport returned to the terminal Tuesday, after the flight crew had a problem with a belligerent Saudi Arabian passenger who was yelling about terrorism, according to authorities.
Yazeed Mohammed Abunayyan was ?yelling profanities and swinging his fist at the flight attendant, hitting or attempting to hit several passengers, and speaking or singing about Usama [Osama] bin Laden and his hatred of women,? according to court documents obtained by KGW.
He was charged Wednesday in federal court with interfering with the operation of the aircraft.
A cousin flying with him said Abunayyan suffers from schizophrenia. He was headed home to see his ill mother and had not taken his medication for several weeks, according to a report in the?Medford Mail Tribune.
The cousin, Fahad Alsubaie, 21, told the paper he was escorted off the plane with Abunayyan. Alsubaie said the disruption began after a flight attendant confronted the two for sitting together, because Alsubaie was in the wrong seat.
"I was going to ride back with him, just to make sure he was safe. They didn't want us to sit together," said Alsubaie, a Saudi Arabian exchange student studying English at Southern Oregon University in Ashland.
Abunayyan was arrested Sunday in?Ashland for DUI and several other charges after police said he hit two patrol cars and nearly ran over a pedestrian during a police chase, according to the?Ashland Daily?Tidings paper.
On the plane, witnesses said Abunayyan refused to turn off an electronic cigarette when asked by airline staff, according to Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson. Then, the pilot decided to return to PDX, where Abunayyan and his companion were escorted off the plane.
Cell phone video shared with KGW by a passenger on the flight showed the man getting escorted off the plane. Passengers said he disobeyed the flight crew and started yelling. Then, other passengers tackled him.
"Every guy who was in my area was ready to go. It was not even a thought. You could tell buckles were off. People were already leaning toward the aisles," one passenger recalled.
"It almost made me cry to see the way everybody responded. Because the gentlemen that could help got up and helped the stewardess. She was just a little bitty thing," another passenger explained.
Continental Airlines also issued this official statement: "Continental flight 1118, Portland to Houston, returned to Portland when a passenger refused to obey the 'No Smoking' sign. The flight landed safely, without incident at approximately 1:15 p.m. local and was met by local law enforcement. The passenger and traveling companion were taken off the plane. The flight resumed and departed Portland at approximately 2:05 p.m. local"
E-cigarettes, which heat a liquid nicotine solution, are not specifically prohibited by the Transportation Safety Administration, like tobacco cigarettes, but they are banned by Continental Airlines.
This story originally appeared on KGW.com, the NBC News affiliate in Portland, Ore. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More on Overhead Bin
?
?
?
?
bob harper x factor judges x factor judges raiders news raiders news ice cream sandwich android ice cream sandwich android
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.