In the United States, a plane carrying 150 people returned to the airport after a passenger reported a hijacking
Kyiv • UNN
A flight from Las Vegas to Newark was turned back after a passenger reported that the plane had been hijacked. The man faces up to 20 years in prison.
In the United States, a United Airlines plane traveling from Las Vegas to Newark was forced to return to the airport after one of the passengers allegedly sent a message threatening to hijack the aircraft. LRT reports this, citing the Associated Press, writes UNN.
Details
The incident occurred overnight on Sunday, October 25. According to investigators, the 25-year-old passenger wrote in a message that he intended to seize the plane and direct it at a row of passenger seats. Law enforcement officials did not specify to whom he sent the threat.
After receiving information about a potential threat, the crew decided to return to Las Vegas. According to Flightradar24, the plane landed less than an hour after takeoff. There were 150 passengers on board.
The passenger faces up to 20 years in prison
Police detained the man on suspicion of threatening to commit a terrorist act or disseminating false information about such a threat. If convicted, he faces between one and 20 years in prison.
United Airlines confirmed that the plane returned safely to the airport. The flight was postponed until Sunday morning, after which the passengers were able to depart for Newark.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. According to the agency, more than 1,400 cases of unruly passenger behavior have been recorded in U.S. aviation since the beginning of 2026.