Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, has just been indicted for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to cause bodily harm while traveling on an airplane. But perhaps the most bizarre part of this story is that a fork was his weapon of choice.
Most of us have never had the misfortune of being on a plane that had to make a diversion or, even worse, an emergency landing. It’s bad enough when that’s caused by mechanical failure or pilot error — but when it’s just an unruly passenger who, for whatever reason, decides to ruin everyone’s day, it stings just a little bit more.
Such was the case on Oct. 25, when a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was cruising along without incident. Passengers were reportedly deep in slumber, waiting for the flight to end. That’s when Usiripalli, without explanation, allegedly got up and stabbed a 17-year-old male passenger before turning on another male passenger of the same age, causing significant injuries to both.
When the flight crew tried to subdue him so he could no longer disturb other passengers, Usiripalli allegedly slapped a female passenger and put his fingers in his mouth in the shape of a gun, pretending to shoot himself.
At that point, even after the crew had managed to restrain him, the pilot saw it best to make an emergency landing in Boston before things got further out of control. Upon landing at Boston Logan International Airport, Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody. He’s set to be arraigned in court at a later date that has not yet been made public.
There’s still no word on what motivated the disturbing attack, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts released more details about the suspect. Usiripalli was previously admitted to the U.S. on a student visa to study for a Master’s degree in Biblical Studies. However, at the time of his arrest, he was found not to have lawful status in the United States.
He allegedly committed a very disturbing crime, and it’s probably only a matter of time before the current administration circles back to it. It’s worth noting that there have already been unverified claims that a certain immigrant, who also happens to be a cannibal, once tried to eat himself while being deported. It’s very likely that this situation too might be stretched and turned into an entire production if there’s political need.
Currently, Usiripalli is facing harsh consequences if found guilty, and considering the number of witnesses present, it’s hard to see how he could possibly get away with this. He faces a maximum of 10 years behind bars, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. And after all that is served, it’s highly likely he will never be allowed to set foot in the United States again.
Why he did this may never become public knowledge — but justice means that at least this is the final opportunity he will ever get to act like that.
