Attempted Terror Attack On Denver-Bound United Flight: Man Shouted ‘Jihad’ Before Rushing Cockpit
Radical Islam has reportedly reared its head once again, this time on a United Airlines flight from Dulles Airport to Denver, when a man shouted “Jihad” before rushing the cockpit in an effort to enter it.
When the 33 passengers and six crew members took off on Flight 1074 at 10:15 p.m., the last thing people were expecting was an attempted terror attack.
United airlines spokesman Luke Punzenberger said in a statement that the passenger “failed to comply with crew instructions,” but didn’t want to reveal any further details regarding the incident, making no reference to the suspected religious terror aspect of it.
Media outlets have been hush-hush so far regarding the nature of the attempted break-in to the cockpit, with ABC News for example reporting simply that the man, “ran forward towards the cockpit and he is being restrained by passengers.”
Gawker was one of the few outlets to report the fact that the passenger screamed “Jihad” meaning “Holy War”” in Arabic, as he ran down the aisle toward the pilot.
Once the man was subdued by staff and passengers alike, one of the pilots confirmed, “Cockpit is secure and we would like to return to the airport and have the authorities meet him.”
One passenger on the flight, Donna Tillam from Colorado, spoke to reporters about the incident, saying, “One held his feet and the other one kind of laid on top of him and then the flight attendants went and got some plastic restraints for his arms.”
At the same time, Tillam also texted her husband, telling him she was experiencing the “scariest moment” of her life, texting, “some crazy guy just tried to get into the cockpit.”
It remains to be seen what action will be taken against the suspect, as police try to establish whether it was an attempted Islamist terror attack which took place on the United Airlines flight to Denver.