Passengers had to forcibly overpower a man who allegedly demanded to be allowed into a plane’s cockpit before threatening to open its doors mid-flight.
The man is reported to have cried out that he wished to join Allah along with the other passengers on board the Lufthansa plane from Frankfurt to Belgrade.
A suspect - reportedly a Jordanian man with an American passport - was later arrested by Serbian authorities after Flight 1406 reached its destination.
Crew and passengers – including the Serbian national handball team – restrained the man for the duration of the flight after the terrifying incident.
The president of the Vojvodina handball team, Milan Djukic, said: “About halfway into the flight he tried to open a plane door, but the cabin crew stopped him.”
He added that two players then “guarded” the man in the business class section of the plane until it landed safely. Most of the other passengers on the flight were unaware of what was happening, Mr Djukic said.
Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels told Sky News: “A passenger got up and tried to do something at the door, but was stopped by crew members and other passengers.
"The passenger was then restrained for the remainder of the flight in his seat and handed over to the authorities in Belgrade.
"The safety of the flight was not jeopardised and the flight landed safely in Belgrade."
