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26 Nov, 2014 17:00

Drunk honeymooner threatens to ‘kill everyone on board’ flight, causes emergency landing

Drunk honeymooner threatens to ‘kill everyone on board’ flight, causes emergency landing

A drunk British man caused a flight bound for Cuba to make an emergency landing in Bermuda after arguing with his new wife and threatening to kill everyone on the plane.

Mohammed Khelya, 22, from Lancashire, had been drinking from a bottle of duty-free vodka before arguing with his wife on Monday.

He was taken in handcuffs to the back of the plane, forcing an unscheduled landing, prosecutors said.

On Tuesday, he appeared at a court in Hamilton, Bermuda's capital, and pleaded guilty to being drunk on the plane and to threatening flight staff.

“I don't know how I'm going to forgive myself,” he said in court.

“I don't know how she's going to forgive me,” he added, referring to his wife.

Khelya and his wife were among 311 passengers on board a Thomas Cook flight, which took off from Manchester International Airport.

Hamilton, Bermuda (Reuters / Gary Cameron)

A few hours into the flight, his wife changed seats to get away from him, after which he asked a crew member to see her. “I'm going to kill you and I'm going to kill everyone after,” Khelya told a crew member, according to prosecutors.

As he was taken to the rear of the plane in handcuffs, he spat on other passengers. The crew had to cover them with blankets as protection.

The aircraft was then diverted to Cuba to L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda, where police officers escorted Khelya off the plane.

READ MORE:Passenger kicked off flight after live-tweeting pilot’s sobriety test

While he was grounded in Bermuda, Khelya’s wife continued on to Cuba without him.

Khelya was fined $2,000 for being drunk on the aircraft and another $1,000 for his abusive behavior towards flight staff. If he fails to pay the fines, he faces four months in prison in Bermuda.

His brother Minhas Khelya told BBC Radio Lancashire that he had shamed his family, but the incident had been blown out of proportion. He added that Khelya’s wife returned to the UK from Cuba shortly after.

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