A 31-year-old man was arrested Sunday afternoon after he attempted to redirect a domestic flight in Mexico to the United States while it was en route, according to authorities.
The Airbus A320 plane, which took off around 7:17 am local time, was bound for the northwest city of Tijuana from the central city of Leon, Guanajuato, but had to make an emergency landing at Guadalajara International Airport about 45 minutes into the flight.
“A subject assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to enter the cockpit to divert the flight to the United States,” said a statement from the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection.
However, crew members were able to subdue the man — who was reportedly travelling with family — and issued an alert to conduct an emergency landing in Guadalajara.
A report from flight operator Volaris said “the aggressor told them a close relative had been kidnapped and, upon taking off from Leon, was threatened to be killed if he went to Tijuana.”
Neither statement detailed how many other passengers were aboard the flight.
After the arrest, the flight resumed its journey to the original destination of Tijuana.
Guanajuato is one of the states hit hardest by drug cartel violence, which has grown to include crimes including extortion and kidnapping.
