Police have arrested a man accused of running naked on board an Australian domestic flight, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane back to the airport, authorities said.
The incident took place early in a scheduled 3-hour, 30-minute Virgin Australia flight VA696 on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast.
The airline said in a statement that the plane returned to Perth Airport due to a “disruptive passenger”.
Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and “the disruptive guest was disembarked,” Virgin said.
“Officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor,” police said.
“The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains,” a police statement said.
However, it is still not clear where the passenger removed his clothes on the plane.
Police has issued summons ordering the man to appear in a Perth court on June 14. It is not yet known what charges will be brought against him.
Meanwhile, the airline has apologised to “guests impacted” and said that the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority.
The airline and police declined to comment beyond their statements. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, no one was injured during the incident.
