New York: A 22-year-old man in the US is facing a federal charge after he allegedly attempted to bite a flight attendant before opening an aircraft door and jumping to the tarmac below, according to media reports. American Airlines Flight 5242 to New Bern at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina was holding just off a taxiway on May 25, with the fasten-seatbelt sign illuminated, when Tun Lon Sein allegedly got out of his seat and attempted to open the main aircraft door. A flight attendant stood up and immediately told Sein to return to his seat while two other passengers got up to help, according to a complaint filed in federal court, the ABC reported. Sein then allegedly attempted to bite the flight attendant in his effort to move towards the nearby galley service door, the complaint said. He then managed to open the door and jump down to the tarmac below, it said. While he did not speak English, a criminal complaint said he understood the flight crew’s instructions before he exited the flight. Two employees working on the tarmac stopped Sein from running onto a nearby active taxiway. He was then taken to the terminal and transported to a medical facility. The plane returned to the gate where passengers exited to be re-screened. The plane, operated by PSA Airlines, an American regional airline, departed Charlotte at 11:31 am. It had been scheduled to leave at 9:40 am, according to American Airlines. Sein is facing one federal charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants and was scheduled to appear in court on Friday. (PTI)
Write a letter to terrorists! Children told in new book
London: A new book published in the UK recommends school children as young as seven to “write a letter to a terrorist” to help understand their motives. The book, Talking About Terrorism, published weeks before the Manchester Arena attack, describes the indiscriminate mass murder of innocent members of the public as a “type of war.” It tells primary age children that terrorists kill people because they believe they are being treated “unfairly and not shown respect”, Daily Express reported. In an activity recommended for pupils aged seven to 11, teachers are urged to “invite children to write a letter to a terrorist. If they could ask a terrorist six questions, what would they be?” The book, published by Brilliant Publications and containing a foreword by Peter Wanless, the chief executive of The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a charity campaigning and working in child protection in the UK, has been slammed by critics who say it is potentially dangerous. Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the letter task would confuse and potentially upset pupils. “This a crackpot idea based on the misguided notion that primary school children must engage with, and show ‘respect’ for, religious fanatics who are seeking to kill them. “The primary school classroom is not the place to humanise terrorism by ‘pretend dialogue’.” In trying to help children “understand” terrorists’ motives, the book invites sympathy for the killers, critics claim, the report said. (PTI)
Delta Airlines held dog hostage for 33 hours, claims pet owner
New York: An eight-month-old German Shepherd was held hostage by Delta Airlines for more than 33 hours over paperwork that airline officials misplaced, the pet’s owner has claimed. Mary Nguyen, a 25-year-old student living in Minneapolis, decided to relocate her German Shepherd named Bunny to Guatemala so he could live with her husband. The “hostage” situation began last week, when Nguyen hired Pet Air Carrier, a private company unaffiliated with Delta, paying it USD 3,000 to ship Bunny. As part of the arrangement, Nguyen drove from Minneapolis to Wisconsin to have the required paperwork endorsed before sending the puppy on his way on Wednesday. But when Nguyen’s hubby tried to get Bunny out of cargo at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Delta balked, saying the necessary paperwork to take the animal to a new country had been left back in the US, CBS reported. Adding insult to injury, Nguyen claimed Delta agents demanded an extra USD 3,000 to free the pup. “They have all the documents they need on their scratch pad to release her but refuse to do so without the hard copy that they lost (but tracked down),” a distraught Nguyen was quoted as saying by the CBS. “The document has been in their possession the whole (time) since I’ve surrendered my dog over.” “After 33 hours, they finally released Bunny,” she said. That happened late Friday, after the paperwork was finally located and dispatched to Guatemala. Delta has had problems transporting pets in the past, with five animal deaths and five injuries in 2016, the second-highest rate of animal death and injury among the top seven domestic airlines. A Delta spokesperson said that the airline would refund the shipment cost. (PTI)