Lufthansa airline passengers from Frankfurt to Belgrade were forced to act after a man screaming he wanted “to join Allah” attempted to open a plane door mid-flight.
The incident occurred yesterday when the man – a Jordanian with an American passport – began to scream that he wished to join Allah and had to be restrained.
Crew and passengers, which included the Serbian national handball team, lended their efforts to keeping the man restrained on Flight 1406, an Airbus A319 before he was arrested upon landing in Serbia.
Milan Djukic, president of the Vojvodina handball team said: “About halfway into the flight he tried to open a plane door, but the cabin crew stopped him.”
Two players from the team, at the request of flight stewards, reportedly watched the man who is said to have spoken English in an American accent. He was placed in the business class section until landing, according to the Daily Mail.
A Lufthansa spokesman said: “A passenger got up and tried to do something at the door, but was stopped by crew members and other passengers.
“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,” he said. “The safety of the flight was not jeopardised and the flight landed safely in Belgrade”.
Serbian press identified the man as “Laken” and reported that he is a United States passport holder.
Lufthansa has recently been dogged by strikes, with employees angry over the firm’s policy on retirement benefits.
The latest incident of seemingly Islam-inspired terror comes soon after the Paris Attacks, the San Bernardino shootings, the London stabbings, and a recent incident in Germany whereby a train fare dodger is reported to have bitten a policeman and screamed “Allah hu Akbar”.