A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt on Oct. 25 made an emergency landing in Boston after a man allegedly stabbed two other passengers with a metal fork, according to authorities.
Identified as Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, the man is being 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 by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts.
An Indian national who had previously been admitted to the U.S. on a student visa for a master's program in biblical studies, Usiripalli was on Lufthansa flight 431, which had departed Chicago O'Hare International Airport on time at 4:26 p.m. for the nearly eight-hour journey to Frankfurt Airport, FlightAware data showed.
During the flight, Usiripalli allegedly stabbed two 17-year-old passengers seated next to each other with a metal fork – one in the left shoulder area and the other in the back of the head, according to charging documents. At the time of the attack, the first victim had been sleeping in the middle seat and awoke to Usiripalli standing above him.
"When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger," the release continued. He's also accused of slapping a nearby female passenger and trying to hit a crew member.
