AVIATION

26 FEBRUARY 2019: CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

Guilherme Alves De Melo, 33, a Brazilian national, was sentenced to a year in prison for intimidating cabin crew on an American Airlines flight last June. The flight heading towards Chicago from Calgary diverted to Cedar Rapids when De Melo hit himself in the face and blamed a flight attendant, drew on his face and made motions of slitting his wrist. He was restrained by passengers and crew with zip ties. De Melo also ripped up important documents such as his visa and boarding pass during the flight as he believed he was being filmed for a movie. The judge accepted that De Melo had a psychotic episode. Additionally, De Melo was ordered to pay $5,245 (c. £3955) to two passengers and $4,790 (c. £3610) to American Airlines. He will be deported when released.

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