Colombian Man Detained in Germany After Trying to Open Airplane Door
“He’s going to open the door, he’s going to open the door,”
Carlos Andrés Quiroga Quevedo, a 33-year-old Colombian electrical worker residing in Germany, was subdued and arrested after spending at least eight hours attempting to force open the emergency doors of a Lufthansa flight traveling from Bogotá to Frankfurt on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Mid-Air Struggle Erupts Near Cockpit and Galley Area
The disturbance began roughly one hour after the aircraft departed Bogotá, according to accounts gathered by Infobae from German resident and former military parachutista Michele Carlo Benedetto Cinque. The passenger described hearing a flight attendant shout warnings in German before discovering Quiroga pulling forcefully on the large opening lever of a primary exit door. Benedetto intervened by tackling the man to the floor, where a violent physical struggle ensued. Despite taking heavy physical blows, the traveler broke free and bolted toward a second exit door on the opposite side of the cabin. A loud click near door 2L activated a door warning signal in the cockpit, which crew members later attributed to a brief micro-apertura caused by cabin pressure differentials. Two additional passengers rushed to assist, enabling the crew to apply metallic handcuffs and secure the individual with cables until touchdown in Frankfurt.
Conflicting Reports Surface Regarding Post-Landing Custody
El Tiempo reported that family members in Colombia lost contact with Quiroga immediately after the plane landed, when German authorities transferred him to a Frankfurt psychiatric hospital. Natalia Escobar, the passenger’s wife, stated that hospital staff discharged him shortly after arrival under the assessment that he was in stable medical condition. German media outlets confirmed that local police detained the individual upon arrival at Frankfurt am Main Airport to open criminal investigations regarding air safety violations. Escobar noted that her husband suffers from severe anxiety and recurrent panic attacks driven by deep isolation in Germany. Family members planned to travel to Frankfurt alongside Quiroga’s mother, carrying his complete medical history to present to German authorities.
Criminal Investigation and Corporate Duty of Care
Judicial authorities in Germany are weighing formal criminal charges against Quiroga for endangering civil aviation operations. While detained inside the cabin, the passenger told fellow travelers that he intended to end his life, prompting an authorized check of his cellular telephone messages by witnesses who discovered recent texts pleading with him not to commit any harmful acts.