𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑

First posted on X (Twitter) on August 24, 2024
https://x.com/AlMariam1/status/1827201607387267298

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒

The moron depicted in this tweet passes himself as TikToker John Daniel. On August 22, 2024, this moron caused a major disturbance on an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft which had to perform emergency preparations due to dense fog at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.

I am not sure where the flight originated but if it had originated from the United States, he would be facing 20 years in federal prison! (Indeed, if the flight had originated in the US, he could be tried and convicted both in Ethiopia and the United States and serve successive long prison terms.)

Causing a disturbance on an airplane, intimidating or assaulting a flight crew or flight attendant in a way that interferes with the performance of their normal duties, or even conspiring to do such acts in a “special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States” is punishable by 20 years in prison.

Title 49 U.S.C.A. § 46504 provides: An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crewmember or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be guilty of the federal crime of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

This offense is classified as a “general intent” crime, which means that the person committing the crime does not have to intend to interfere with the performance of the crewmember or attendant. All that is required is proof the accused caused the disturbance in a voluntary and intentional manner.

The term “special jurisdiction” in the law refers to the fact that the crime occurred on any civil, private or armed-forces aircraft, or any other aircraft in flight, inside or outside the United States, that will next land in, or last departed from, the United States, and that lands in the United States with the offender still on board. An aircraft is considered to be “in flight” “from the moment all external doors are closed following boarding” to “the moment when one external door is opened to allow passengers to leave the aircraft.”

To prove “intimidation,” it is not required that the flight crew member or attendant feared for their own physical safety. It is sufficient that the conduct and words of the accused would place an ordinary, reasonable person in fear, even if the accused did not intend to threaten the victim. The accused can intimidate without making a direct or even veiled threat. For instance, using vulgar words and insults against crew members in refusing to comply with crew requests or instructions to turn off electronic devices (given to prevent interference with aircraft navigation system) are sufficient to prove intimidation.

Moreover, the disturbance caused need not affect the physical safety of the aircraft. Interference with the normal, routine related to the general well-being and comfort of passengers is sufficient. If a dangerous weapon is used in assaulting or intimidating the victim, the penalty shall be “imprisonment for any term of years or for life.” That means pouring hot coffee on a flight attendant qualifies as “using a dangerous weapon” in the in the commission of this crime. 𝐓

𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐢𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨. A word to the wise is enough.

𝐀 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭! 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐃!!!