Man who attacked fellow passenger in US flight 'planned to kill him', faces criminal charge
Airplane
A man on an Alaska Airlines flight attacked another passenger reportedly with the intention of "killing him" using a makeshift weapon in an incident wish took place last month. In a report published on Thursday (Feb 22), FOX5 said that the suspect is facing a federal criminal charge.
The plane was travelling from Seattle to Las Vegas and the incident took place after a violent mid-air altercation.
The report said a federal court complaint showed that the man, identified as Julio Alvarez Lopez, was detained on January 24 for one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
The issue was probed by a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent who has experience in investigating federal criminal crimes "occurring in the special maritime jurisdiction of the United States".
According to the agent, the incident occurred aboard an Alaska Airlines aircraft from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at around 6:10 am (local time).
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A witness who was seated next to the suspect characterised him as "fidgety" during the flight, saying he kept pulling his gloves on and off and getting up to reach his backpack.
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The US-based media outlet reported that the suspect "sat down, got up a second time, and went to the restroom, where he was reportedly gone for 'a while'".
When he returned, he started "punching and hitting" the man seated across the aisle. The suspect apparently tried to stab him in the eye.
Witnesses said that there "was blood everywhere," and a "pen and tape bundle" had dropped to the floor.
An FBI agent wrote in court documents: "During the altercation, the victim’s wife was screaming at the defendant to stop hitting her husband. A witness unbuckled her seatbelt and yelled at the defendant to stop."
After getting the Miranda warning, Lopez admitted to planning the attack. The report mentioned that the suspect stated "I planned on attacking and killing him,".
He had reportedly armed himself with pens wrapped in rubber bands and said that he crafted the makeshift weapon before the flight.
(With inputs from agencies)