A Jordanian-American airplane passenger allegedly attempted to open an exit door during a Lufthansa flight from Germany to Serbia on Sunday, but was subdued and restrained by other passengers and crew.
According to Sky News, "He threatened to bring down the plane and cried out that he wished to join Allah along with all the passengers, according to [Serbia's public broadcaster] RTS."
Airline spokesman Andreas Bartels said that some initial reports incorrectly stated that the passenger had attempted to get inside the cockpit, and that he only tried to open the cabin door to the outside.
"A passenger got up and tried to do something with the door, but was stopped by crew members and other passengers," said Bartels. "The passenger was then restrained for the remainder of the flight in his seat and handed over to the authorities in Belgrade."
"It was a normal door, which of course cannot be opened in-flight... it was not the cockpit door. The safety of the flight was not jeopardized and the flight landed safely in Belgrade," he added.
Bartles declined to comment on a possible motive for the alleged incident.
According to AFP, Milan Djukic, the head of a handball team that helped subdue the man, said that the man looked "nervous" before boarding the flight.
"I exchanged a few words with him and he was very nervous. Before takeoff, the flight attendants made him change seats three times," said Djukic.
"When he got up, he crossed through business class and started banging on a door demanding for that of the cockpit to be opened. A crew member and one of our coaches calmed him down and persuaded him to sit back down … two men and two of our players kept him company so that he would stay calm."
The flight was reportedly flying over Austria when the incident occurred.
Serbian police arrested the man when the plane landed. He would be held for 48 hours for "provoking general danger," they said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.