Portland: A 19-year-old from Saudi Arabia who authorities say forced a plane to make an emergency landing when he lit an electronic cigarette, mentioned Osama bin Laden and tried to hit fellow passengers pleaded not guilty to interfering with a plane crew.
A lawyer for Yazeed Mohammed A Abunayyan told a judge on Friday that his client suffers from unspecified mental health issues that require care at the Multnomah County Detention Centre.
US Magistrate Court Judge Janice Stewart ordered Abunayyan held in jail as a flight risk and set a trial date of April 24, saying she believes Abunayyan's mental health issues will be dealt with "in due course."
According to court records, an attendant aboard a Continental Airlines flight to Houston on Tuesday asked Abunayyan to stop smoking an electronic cigarette, but he refused. He's also accused of yelling profanities and throwing punches at the flight attendant and several passengers. Authorities say Abunayyan also was "singing or speaking about" Osama bin Laden and his hatred of women....
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09:12 AM, Feb 26, 2012
