Passenger Arrested After Allegedly Attempting to ‘Use Force’ to Divert Flight from Mexico to United States

A passenger aboard a flight in Mexico was arrested on Sunday after the person “attempted to use force to divert” a plane towards the United States, Volaris airlines said in a statement.

The Mexican low-cost airline said the incident took place on Flight 3041, which was flying from El Bajio, located in the central state of Guanajuato, to Tijuana, located near the border of Mexico and Southern California, on Sunday.

“The crew acted in accordance with established security procedures and, in accordance with protocol, the plane was diverted to the Guadalajara airport, where the airplane placed the passenger at the disposal and custody of the competent authorities,” Volaris said, according to a translation of its official statement shared Sunday.

Volaris said “all passengers, crew and aircraft are safe” following the incident. “The remaining passengers were protected” and continued their flight to their final destination, according to the airline.

The airline said it “regrets the inconvenience” but that “the safety of our passengers and crew is the highest priority.”

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) said in a statement that the incident stemmed from one single passenger’s actions during the flight and said “emergency assistance was provided” to Volaris to handle the situation. 

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The National Guard was also notified, according to AFAC, which added that “the aircraft was able to land without incident at the Guadalajara International Airport and the passenger was detained.”

There has been no official statement about what type of force the passenger attempted to use to divert the aircraft and where the passenger had attempted to take the plane once assuming control.

According to ABC News, citing Mexican authorities, the suspect was a 31-year-old man who was traveling on the flight with his wife and two children. He allegedly claimed to police that he found out shortly before the flight took off that a close relative had been kidnapped and he was threatened with death if he arrived in Tijuana, the outlet reported.