A 28-year-old man is facing federal charges after allegedly stabbing two 17-year-old passengers aboard a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt on Saturday. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli was arrested upon the flight’s diversion to Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Prosecutors allege that following a meal service, Usiripalli attacked one teenager who was asleep, striking him in the left collarbone with a metal fork. He then allegedly stabbed a second teenager in the back of the head,causing a laceration.
The incident escalated when crewmembers attempted to intervene, at which point Usiripalli reportedly mimicked firing a gun with his fingers and pointed it at his own mouth. He is also accused of slapping a female passenger and attempting to strike a crewmember.
Usiripalli has been charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to do bodily harm.He is an Indian national who initially entered the U.S. on a student visa and was enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies, but currently has no lawful U.S. status, prosecutors stated.
