Boston to Puerto Rico – A passenger aboard a flight from Boston to Puerto Rico tried to storm the cockpit Wednesday night while screaming in Spanish and Arabic, according to an FBI affidavit report.
The affidavit says the man, identified as Khalil El Dahr, was sitting in the sixth row on JetBlue flight 261 from Logan Airport to San Juan. It also indicates he tried to make a phone call during the flight but was unsuccessful and upset.
About 45 minutes before arriving in San Juan, the affidavit says El Dahr “pulled himself out of his seat and rushed toward the flight deck yelling to be shot.”
A flight attendant pushed El Dahr into a space between the first row and the galley.
While El Dahr was corralled there, a flight crew officer opened the cockpit door. The affidavit said El Dahr used that moment to pull the flight attendant’s tie and kicked the flight attendant in the chest, again yelling for the crew to shoot him.
“While EL DAHR was yelling, he was still holding the JetBlue (flight attendant) by their tie. This resulted in the tie tightening and ultimately prevented the JetBlue FA from breathing,” the affidavit said.
The flight attendant was able to prevent El Dahr from reaching the galley or flight deck but the struggle continued until a group of six or seven flight crew members was able to restrain El Dahr. The affidavit said they used makeshift restraints, including a neck tie around his ankles and seat belt extenders around El Dahr’s torso.
Upon landing safely in San Juan, law enforcement met the plane.
According to the affidavit, the FBI said El Dahr should face a felony charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants.
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