Passengers and crew subdued a man who tried to break into the cockpit on a flight to Hawaii
The passengers and crew of a flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii on Friday subdued a Turkish national who attempted to break into the cockpit. Two U.S. fighter jets then arrived to escort the plane to its destination, where the man was arrested by federal agents.
Identified as Anil Uskanil, 25, the unruly passenger attempted to force his way past a drink cart and through the first class cabin. "It took seconds" to subdue him, said Lee Lorenzen, a passenger who helped flight attendants restrain Uskanil. "He was pushing against the cart and a bunch of guys grabbed him. They found some duct tape. There were pillows and blankets. And they taped him to his chair."
Uskanil had a run-in with police at the Los Angeles airport before the flight, too. He was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing after attempting to go through a door leading to the tarmac, then released with a court date. No explosives were found on the plane after it landed, and Uskanil's visa to the United States has been revoked. He is expected to face charges that would land him in prison for at least a decade.
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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
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