A United Airlines passenger has been arrested after allegedly threatening to detonate a bomb and attempting to force his way into the cockpit of a flight travelling from Newark, New Jersey, to New Orleans, Louisiana.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Rony Gomez Alberto, was taken into custody after the aircraft landed safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday night.
According to the New York Post on Tuesday, the incident occurred aboard United Airlines Flight 2174, which took off from Newark International Airport at about 9:30 p.m. with 46 passengers and six crew members on board.
The pilots reportedly alerted air traffic controllers after Alberto allegedly began behaving erratically, claimed he was carrying a bomb and attempted to gain access to the cockpit.
Audio recordings of communications with air traffic control reportedly indicated that the passenger, who authorities said had limited proficiency in English, was restrained at the rear of the aircraft while the crew dealt with the situation.
The plane eventually arrived safely in New Orleans at approximately 11:15 p.m., where officers of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office were on standby.
United Airlines confirmed the incident on Tuesday, stating that the aircraft was received by law enforcement officials upon landing.
Alberto was subsequently arrested and charged with communicating false information about planned arson and terrorising, according to local news outlet NOLA.com.
He is currently being detained without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Centre.
US passenger arrested after allegedly threatening to bomb, hijack flight