A British passenger heading on honeymoon on a flight to Cuba was grounded in Bermuda after drunkenly threatening cabin crew.
Mohammed Khelya, from Blackburn, had been drinking from a bottle of duty-free vodka before rowing with his wife on Monday when he was taken in handcuffs to the rear of the Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft and forced its unscheduled landing, prosecutors said.
Appearing at a court in Hamilton, Bermuda, on Tuesday. Khelya (22) pleaded guilty to being drunk on the aircraft and to threatening flight crew, The Telegraph reported.
He and his wife were among 311 passengers on board the aircraft which was flying from Manchester.
Several hours into the flight, after his wife changed seats to get away from him, Khelya appealed unsuccessfully to a crew member to see her.
“I’m going to kill you and I’m going to kill everyone after,” Khelya told a crew member, using an expletive, according to prosecutors.
As flight attendants moved a handcuffed Khelya to the back of the aircraft, he spat at other passengers, compelling crew members to use blankets to protect them, prosecutors said.
Diverted to Bermuda, the flight was greeted by police, who escorted Khelya off the aircraft.
His wife continuing on to Cuba without him, authorities in Bermuda reportedly said.
Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Khelya $2,000 for being drunk on the aircraft and another $1,000 for his abusive behavior towards flight staff. He faces four months in a Bermuda jail If he fails to pay the fines.
A lawyer for Khelya could not immediately be reached for comment, according to the newspaper.