HONOLULU (AP) – A man who caused a disturbance on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu had no luggage other than a laptop and needed a wheelchair to board the plane because he appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to court documents released Monday.
Anil Uskanli, who has a Turkish passport, didn’t have any checked or carry-on luggage for Friday’s American Airlines flight, a criminal complaint filed in federal court said. Uskanli, 25, boarded only with a laptop, phone, laptop charger and some items in his pockets.
Flight attendants feared the laptop contained explosives, the complaint said, and two fighter jets were summoned to escort the plane to Hawaii. He was arrested in Honolulu, charged with interfering with a flight crew and was scheduled to appear in federal court Monday. Prosecutors plan to ask that he be held without bail.
He bought his ticket around midnight and was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after opening a door that led to an airfield ramp at about 2:45 a.m., airport police said. He was looking for food, spokesman Rob Pedregon said.
Though police smelled alcohol on Uskanli’s breath, he was not intoxicated enough to be held for public drunkenness, so they cited and released him.