An Indian man who was in the United States illegally was arrested in Boston on Saturday after he stabbed people on a plane for no obvious reason.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to a Department of Justice news release. He was arrested on October 25th.
The incident took place aboard a Lufthansa flight from Chicago that had been scheduled to land in Frankfurt, Germany.
The incident took place while the plane was over the Atlantic.
Usiripalli is alleged to have used a metal fork to stab two 17-year-olds, neither of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, the release said.
One was dozing in his seat and stabbed in the left shoulder with a metal fork. Another sitting next to him was stabbed in the back of the head.
Witnesses told investigators that Usiripalli made a gun gesture with his hand, placed it in his mouth, and pretended to pull the trigger when flight attendants tried to restrain him.
He then allegedly slapped a nearby female passenger and swung at a flight attendant who tried to intervene.”The flight was diverted to Boston, the DOJ release said.
He had been in the US for years, having long overstayed a student visa.
If convicted, he will face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to US $250,000, according to prosecutors.
Hopefully, he will then be deported. There is no reason for him to be here. He’s a bad hombre.
Breaking: On Lufthansa Flight LH431 from Chicago to Frankfurt, 28-year-old Indian student Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli allegedly stabbed two teens with a fork & slapped a flight attendant, forcing diversion to Boston. He’s on a valid F-1 visa for biblical studies.. not expired as… pic.twitter.com/X7rUmz1Lc6
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) October 28, 2025
Question of the day
How did he get on the plane? With all the crap I go thru to board a plane.
Why was he not flagged ?
Illegals still get special treatment by certain departments. Like illegals driving semi’s, the light needs to shine on those illegals flying without proper credentials.