Flight attendant spies passenger texting that he would 'hijack this' plane, 'crash ur row only' on flight from Vegas: court docs
New details have emerged in the case of a 25-year-old arrested for making threats to hijack a plane over the weekend. A flight attendant spotted messages communicated by the suspect on his phone that he was going to hijack the plane, prompting the United Airlines flight traveling to Newark to go into lockdown and was grounded.
According to a criminal complaint, 25-year-old Dante Milne said over his mobile device that he was "gonna hijack this" plane and that he would "crash ur row only." The complaint did not address how it was transmitted or who received it, but audio from flight officials stated that he was sending the messages over his phone. Milne was arrested and then booked into Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas on a felony count of making threats or conveying false information regarding an act of terrorism.
He was later released after posting a $10,000 bond. He will be released pending a court appearance on Tuesday. The incident took place aboard United Airlines Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 that had 150 passengers and six crew members. The flight attendant saw Milne typing the message on his phone—but rather than confront him about it—notified the pilot. The plane went into lockdown and reversed course back to Las Vegas.
“The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft. They called me. We went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas,” the captain said in an audio recording. Milne was not aware that he was being watched after the flight attendant saw the messages.
The felony charge of conveying false information or making a threat with terrorism has a prison term of one to 20 years in Nevada, per the New York Post. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the case.
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