A Delta co-pilot was arrested and dragged off a Boeing 757-300 from Minneapolis to San Francisco on Saturday after federal agents stormed the flight. The accused, whose name was not released, was reportedly wanted on child porn charges, US media Fox News said. However, the police or federal agencies are yet to clarify this.
The Boeing 757-300 touched down in San Francisco around 9:35 p.m. on Saturday after a heavy fog delayed its landing twice. And when it finally arrived, more drama awaited the people inside.
The passengers were busy gathering their cabin luggage when law enforcement officials reportedly boarded the plane. As many as ten personnel from Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco, the Sheriff's Department and air marshals stormed the cockpit, fliers who witnessed the episode said.
Even the cabin crew were kept in the dark about the incident and the other pilot reportedly told the fliers he had "no idea about what just happened".
US media reports said that the co-pilot was handcuffed, arrested and walked out through the cabin doors located between first and coach of the Boeing aircraft. Another set of agents then re-entered the cockpit to gather the arrested man's belongings, a report said. The officers who entered through the first-class gate asked the passengers to remain seated as they entered the cockpit.
While the case was being probed by local law enforcement, Homeland Security just tasked its agents to assist in the arrest as the accused was flying an aviation aircraft, the federal agency later clarified.
Delta reportedly refused to comment on the incident and redirected the reporters to law enforcement agencies.
