Tuesday, May 23, 2017
HONOLULU (AP) — Anil Uskanli, who authorities say inspired so much fear among flight attendants on a Hawaii-bound jet that fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane, raised a series of possible red flags at Los Angeles International Airport before the flight took off.
Uskanli, 25, of Turkey, is charged with interfering with a flight crew and was ordered Monday by a federal judge in Honolulu to undergo a competency evaluation to make sure he understands the legal proceedings surrounding the felony accusation carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
He bought his ticket about midnight at the airport and went through security screening but opened a door leading to an airfield ramp about 2:45 a.m. Friday, airport police said.
He smelled of alcohol, but he wasn't intoxicated enough to be held for public drunkenness, so police cited and released him.
Uksanli's boarding pass was confiscated, and he was walked out to a public area of the airport, police said. He got another boarding pass for the flight and went through security screening again.
Even though he was traveling to Hawaii, he had no checked or carry-on luggage other than a laptop, a phone and items in his pocket, according an FBI criminal complaint.