Man Tries To Hijack Alitalia Flight From Paris To Rome

Associated Press

A man's attempt to hijack an Alitalia flight on Sunday night was overpowered by flight attendants and passengers. The 48-year old wielded a small knife and demanded the flight divert to Libya, Reuters reports.

The flight, en route from Paris to Rome, was carrying 131 passengers.

Passengers told the press that the man put the knife to the throat of a female flight attendant and held her for several minutes. "The man grabbed the stewardess from behind her back and pointed the knife. She was in difficulty and tried to turn around," a passenger named Sofia told reporters.

Italian media told police that the man, a citizen of Kazakhstan, worked in Paris, Reuters reported.

Alitalia said in a statement that the man "assaulted a flight attendant and asked that the plane be taken to Tripoli."

Flight attendants overpowered the "clearly agitated" man and the captain alerted police, who arrested the man once the plane was on the ground.

Upon landing safely at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, the passenger was taken into police custody, the Daily News reports.

The flight attendant who was held at knife point was taken to a first aid station for minor injuries.

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