Turkish Airlines passengers subdue man who screamed and rushed towards plane cockpit

Passengers yelled in fear during uproar, says witness

Passengers and crew subdue man who started screaming on Turkish Airlines jet (AP)

Passengers on a Turkish Airlines plane flying from Turkey to Sudan had to subdue a man who started screaming, tried to smash an oxygen mask box and then a cabin window, before pushing flight attendants aside and rushing towards the cockpit.

Several passengers stopped the agitated man in the Boeing 737-900’s business class section after the uproar began only a few minutes after take off from Istanbul, according to Associated Press photographer Hussein Malla – on board the flight on Friday.

Flight attendants spent around 15 minutes calming the man down and he was taken back to a seat as the plane continued to Khartoum.

The crew said the man had complained about not being able to breathe. Around two hours into the flight, the pilots announced the plane was returning to Istanbul.

A few minutes after the announcement, the same man stood up and pushed towards the front of the plane, where others grabbed him and shackled him with plastic restraints provided by flight attendants.

Passengers were yelling in fear and children were crying, according to the AP photographer’s account.

The plane landed back in Istanbul about three hours after it took off and police escorted the man off. As he departed, he shook hands with some passengers and kissed children.

The airline did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There was no immediate word on where the man was taken. His identity was not released.

Additional reporting by AP