Man charged after stabbing two teenagers with a fork on a flight from Chicago to Germany
By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN
(CNN) — A 28-year-old man stabbed two teenagers with a fork and tried to slap a crew member on a flight from Chicago to Germany over the weekend, causing the flight to be diverted, officials said.
The dramatic incident comes during an already tense period in aviation, with significant delays and staffing shortages due to the government shutdown.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Usiripalli will appear in federal court in Boston “at a later date,” officials said.
Usiripalli is accused of stabbing two 17-year-old boys, one in the shoulder area and one in the back of the head, with the same metal fork while on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt on Saturday, according to the news release.
Usiripalli is described as an Indian national who was previously in the United States on a student visa. He was enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies, but currently does not have lawful status in the country, officials said.
CNN is working to determine whether he has an attorney.
The first victim was sleeping in a middle seat after meal service when he woke up to see Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly used his right hand to strike the boy in the left collarbone.
Usiripalli is accused of lunging at the second victim, who was seated to the right of the first victim, and stabbed him.
When flight crew members tried to subdue Usiripalli, “he formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger,” officials said in the news release.
He then turned toward a woman on the flight and slapped her and he tried to slap a flight crew member, according to the news release.
The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, and Usiripalli was taken into custody.
The charge carries of a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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