An Indian national has been charged after he allegedly used a metal fork to stab two teenagers on a Lufthansa flight traveling from Chicago to Germany, forcing the plane to divert to Boston, Massachusetts. The suspect, Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, now faces some incredibly serious charges for what happened 30,000 feet up in the air, and what he was shouting during the attack is surprising.
The calm of a transatlantic flight was totally shattered on October 25 when prosecutors say Usiripalli attacked two 17-year-old passengers. If you’re wondering how this all went down, the details are pretty jarring. The first 17-year-old victim was just dozing lightly in his seat when he woke up to find Usiripalli standing right over him. Moments later, the man allegedly plunged a metal fork into the teen’s left clavicle, which is a key part of the shoulder. Can you imagine waking up to that? It’s awful.
The assault didn’t stop there. He then allegedly turned to a second 17-year-old sitting right next to the first one and stabbed him in the back of the head with the same utensil. That second teen actually suffered a laceration to the rear of his head, according to officials. An image from the criminal complaint, which Fox News obtained, reportedly even shows blood in the 17-year-old’s scalp and hair. This wasn’t some minor, accidental poke; this was a serious, mid-air assault on two unsuspecting passengers.
Teen stabbed with fork by a man on a plane
As you can expect, the flight crew immediately rushed to intervene as the whole scary altercation played out. While flight attendants tried to restrain the attacker, Usiripalli allegedly raised his hand, shaped it like a gun, put it into his mouth, and mimed pulling the trigger. It’s a level of behavior that’s truly shocking to read about, but not the strangest thing that happened on an airplane.
Authorities also said that he allegedly turned toward a woman seated right beside him and slapped her. On top of that, he also attempted to strike a crew member. Witnesses on the flight reported that he was yelling all sorts of completely incoherent and bizarre statements while doing strange things.
Well to be fair the flight was diverted to Boston. It wasn’t from Boston. But I get the overall point.
— Doesn't Matter Does It? (@Generic1211851) October 28, 2025
The complaint lists some of the things he was shouting, and they include: “Koran,” “Barack and Michelle Obama,” “the King,” and “I am a sinner in the eyes of Siddhartha.” The most unsettling quote of all, and the one that made the news, was his final self-declaration that he was yelling, “I am the reason for COVID,” and shouting, “happy times to everybody.”
The immediate consequence of the disturbance was that the Lufthansa flight had to be diverted to Boston Logan International Airport. Once on the ground, Usiripalli was taken into custody immediately. To be fair, the authorities were quick to secure the evidence; they found the metal fork used in the assault in a trash bin in the galley.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli was previously admitted to the United States on a student visa, but here’s the kicker. However, he no longer holds lawful immigration status and is actually in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody right now. Most recently, he was reportedly enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies.
