A Lufthansa flight leaving Chicago turned chaotic when a masters student from India stabbed a pair of teenagers with a metal fork, assaulted a woman, and pretended to shoot himself during the flight, according to federal officials.
The international flight from Chicago to Germany on October 25 was diverted on Saturday to Boston, after which Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28 was arrested and charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, a 17-year-old passenger woke up in his seat to find the man standing over him. Usiripalli then allegedly stabbed at the teen’s neck with a fork and proceeded to stab another 17-year-old boy in the head, drawing blood.
“When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger,” the US Attorney’s Office wrote.
“Immediately afterwards, Usiripalli allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member.”
The first teen attacked avoided injury as he was wearing a thick sweatshirt. He said that he had chatted briefly with Usiripalli during boarding, but didn’t have any further interactions with him until the alleged attack.
Usiripalli was arrested once the flight landed at Boston Logan International Airport around 10:46 pm.
Lufthansa issued a statement after the flight diversion, noting that it was “necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled."
The statement continued, saying that all passengers involved in the incident were “provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights."
"We sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate our passengers’ patience and understanding," the airline said. "The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew are always Lufthansa’s highest priority."
Usiripalli was admitted into the U.S. on a student visa, and is not a legal citizen. He was enrolled in a master’s program for Biblical studies.
No attorney was listed for him as of Tuesday.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
