A flight by Sun D’Or, El Al’s charter carrier, was forced to return to Tel Aviv while in route to Tbilisi due to a member of the cabin crew being allegedly assaulted by a passenger in mental distress.
The airline’s parent company released a statement saying that while flight LY5107 was in operation, “there was an unusual incident of a passenger who behaved violently towards El Al staff,” and the aircraft returned to its departure point “in order to drop off the passenger in coordination with the Israel Police.”
Officials at El Al clarified that the matter was not “a security incident.”
A witness told Israel’s Channel 12 that approximately one hour after taking off, the suspect became unruly and shouted, “I was in Gaza, and I have PTSD. I saw bodies flying through the air,” as he battered a flight attendant.
The unnamed woman then stated that other passengers intervened in the altercation by subduing the individual, whom she described as “very traumatized.”
Both the passenger and the victim were taken to the hospital for observation after landing, and the plane resumed its voyage.
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