An airport worker steals a light plane and threatens to crash it over a department store. The situation ends lightly – now he is facing a charge of terrorist threats.
Tupelo/Washington – A pilot threatened to crash a small plane on a department store in the US state of Mississippi on Saturday. After several hours in the air, police managed to get the man to land in a field near the small town of Tupelo. “We are glad the situation has been resolved and no one was injured,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said. The police mastered the “situation with the utmost professionalism”.
According to the police, the pilot called the police early Saturday morning (local time) and threatened to crash when the stolen plane was already in the air. The department store in Tupelo and a nearby shop were then evacuated. City residents have been asked to avoid the affected area. Videos on social media showed the small plane circling over the city – later the plane turned north.
The police said the man was arrested after the successful emergency landing. It is an airport employee with some flight training, but no permission to fly. He is now facing charges of grand theft and terrorist threats. dpa
