A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston after a man stabbed two teenage passengers with a metal fork, authorities said Monday.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to cause bodily harm in connection with Saturday's incident, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
Usiripalli was arrested after the plane landed at Boston's Logan International Airport, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear whether Usiripalli has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
A 17-year-old passenger who was sleeping in a middle seat was awakened by Usiripalli standing over him with a fork after a meal service, federal prosecutors said.
Usiripalli lunged at the passenger, striking his left collarbone, before stabbing another 17-year-old in the back of the head, officials alleged.
The second passenger had a cut on the back of his head, the prosecutor's office said.
When the flight crew tried to subdue Usiripalli, he formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.
He then punched a female passenger, according to the statement, and attempted to hit a flight crew member.
Usiripalli, an Indian citizen, had previously been admitted to the United States on a student visa and was enrolled in a master's program in biblical studies, according to federal officials.
The US Attorney's Office said Usiripalli does not have legal status in the United States. /Telegraph/
