Australian police arrest a man accused of running naked through an airliner
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane to turn back, was arrested by police at the airport, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident happened early in what was scheduled to be a 3 hour and 30 minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast.
Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to a “disruptive passenger,” an airline statement said.
Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and “the disruptive guest was offloaded,” Virgin said.
Police said “officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor.”
“The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains,” a police statement said.