In a shocking turn of events aboard a Lufthansa flight, Indian national Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli was hit with federal charges in Boston. Allegedly wielding a metal fork as a weapon, he reportedly assaulted two teenagers mid-flight, prompting an emergency diversion to the U.S.
A 28-year-old Indian national has been indicted in Boston after allegedly stabbing two 17-year-old passengers with a metal fork during a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt last month. The incident forced the plane to divert to the United States, according to the Justice Department.Federal prosecutors said Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli had entered the country on a student visa but no longer had lawful status. He now faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while travelling on an aircraft. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on Thursday. He has been detained since his arrest on October 27 and will be arraigned in Boston at a later date.According to charging documents, the incident unfolded on October 25 on Lufthansa flight 431 shortly after meal service. Prosecutors said one of the victims, identified as Minor A, was sleeping in a middle seat when he awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly “used his right hand to strike Minor A in the left clavicle area with a metal fork.”He then turned to a second teenager seated nearby. “Usiripalli then allegedly lunged toward Minor B … and struck Minor B in the back of his head with the fork,” prosecutors said. Minor B suffered a laceration to the back of his head.Prosecutors said the situation escalated when flight crew attempted to intervene. Usiripalli allegedly “raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger.” He then “turned toward a female passenger and slapped her with his hand” and also tried to slap a crew member.The violence forced the pilots to divert the aircraft to Boston Logan International Airport, where law enforcement officers took him into custody as soon as the plane landed.Usiripalli had previously been admitted to the United States on a student visa and was enrolled in a master’s programme in biblical studies. However, authorities confirmed he no longer held lawful immigration status at the time of the alleged assault.If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The case is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office in Boston, with assistance from the FBI, Massachusetts State Police, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection.Prosecutors said that the details in the charging documents remain allegations. Usiripalli is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.In a statement, the US Attorney’s Office confirmed that “the non-citizen individual was living unlawfully in the United States at the time of the offence.” Federal prosecutors described