Indian national charged with stabbing two minors with fork on flight from Chicago to Germany

A 28-year-old Indian national was charged with allegedly assaulting two underage passengers with a metal fork during a Lufthansa flight covering the route from Chicago to Germany, forcing the aircraft to divert to Boston International Airport.

Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli faces a federal charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause bodily injury while traveling on an aircraft under the special jurisdiction of U.S. aircraft, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Usiripalli was arrested on October 25 of this year and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston in the coming days.

What Happened

According to the indictment, the incident occurred aboard Lufthansa Flight 431, bound for Frankfurt, Germany. During the flight, Usiripalli allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old passenger, identified in documents as Minor A, in the shoulder area with a metal fork. He then assaulted a second 17-year-old male passenger, Minor B, in the back of the head with the same utensil. Minor B resulted in a laceration to his head.

The details of the indictment describe that, after the meal service, Minor A woke up in the middle seat and saw Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly used his right hand to strike Minor in the left collarbone area with the fork. Immediately thereafter, he lunged at Minor B, seated to his right in the middle row of the aircraft, and struck him in the back of the neck.

When the flight crew attempted to intervene to subdue him, Usiripalli allegedly raised his hand, formed a pistol with his fingers, placed it in his mouth, and pretended to pull a trigger.

Subsequently, he turned to a passenger to his left and slapped her, in addition to attempting to strike a crew member.

The disturbance prompted the immediate detour of the flight to Logan Airport, where Usiripalli was detained by authorities.

Usiripalli had previously entered the United States on a student visa and had recently enrolled in a master's program in biblical studies, although currently, he lacks legal status in the country.