Indian student charged in US for stabbing teens with metal fork on Lufthansa flight
An Indian national, Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, has been charged in the United States after allegedly stabbing two teenage passengers with a metal fork and slapping another passenger aboard a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Court documents state that the 28-year-old accused first attacked a 17-year-old passenger seated next to him, stabbing the boy in the shoulder while he slept.
Usiripalli then allegedly lunged at another 17-year-old, stabbing him in the back of the head with the same fork, leaving him with a bleeding laceration.
When flight crew members tried to intervene, Usiripalli reportedly mimicked shooting himself with an imaginary pistol, then slapped a female passenger and attempted to hit a crew member, prosecutors said.
The Lufthansa flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where federal agents arrested Usiripalli upon landing.
Authorities revealed that Usiripalli was in the US on a student visa but currently lacks lawful immigration status.
He had been enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies at the time of the incident.
Usiripalli now faces one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause bodily harm aboard an aircraft- a federal crime under the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, the US Attorney’s Office said.
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