I typically take at least one mission trip a year and have been since 2007. World mission trips have included Honduras, Jamaica, Romania, and Zambia. The first two weeks of this month I was part of a teaching team that conducted a leadership summit in Lusaka, Zambia for nine African nations. 400 leaders came from those nine nations. My Tedtalks were on Servant Leadership: The Jesus Model and The Role of Confession and Accountability in Leadership. I led a small group for the delegation from Malawi. I also filled the pulpit in a church in Chainda. We delivered two water purification systems from the US. It was a great team and maybe my favorite trip to date.
Everything went smoothly up and until about eleven hours into the sixteen hour flight from Dubai, UAE to DFW airport.
I was sitting in Economy in an aisle seat near the largest galley, an emergency exit and bathroom. On long flights I buy that seat so that I can get up and stretch every two hours.
On this flight Economy was mostly made up of people from India. I was possibly the only American and was wearing comfortable clothes for the long flight including a Red, White and Blue baseball cap that says Texas Church of God on it.
With about five hours to go and now somewhere over Canada a Muslim man from first class began walking the aisles of the airplane. He was wearing the traditional long outfit and head covering of someone from the middle east. He started harassing the female flight attendants by telling them that they weren't doing their jobs. He started serving passengers water and removing trash and trays before passengers were truly finished all while telling the flight attendants that they weren't serving him and others right.
The flight attendants were annoyed but the ladies tried to ignore his insults and even just left him alone when he refused to return to his seat. This gradually got worse for two to three hours. The captain of the plane spoke over the intercom system to explain what was happening and to tell the man to return to his seat. On the captain's second attempt he told the man, "We are over US airspace and you are violating several US laws."
The man didn't care and the behavior only grew worse.
He began harassing and menacing the mostly female crew with his cellphone and his language became increasingly threatening and offensive.
With about two hours to go the man slapped the com phone out of one of the flight attendants hands and reached for the door, saying, "I will kill myself and all of you with me." He punched a pregnant flight attendant in the stomach and began fighting with and attacking the crew.
I had prayed for over two hours that he would stop but when he got physical I felt that if I didn't do something that I might not make it home.
I got out of my seat and wrestled him to the ground in the back galley. He was very strong and I had to really fight to subdue him. The ladies jumped all over him once he was down and a Jewish man who mostly only spoke Hebrew came to my aid. We had to fight him a total of four times in that hour and a half to keep him subdued. It is the scariest thing that I have encountered in 48 years of life. He threatened me and us repeatedly and told me that he would kill me and my family. He told me that he was very important and that he would kill me. He yelled things in Arabic and English. The only Arabic I understood was Allah. I asked my God to help me. He called for other Muslims to come to his aid and thankfully none did.
When we landed at DFW the captain told us to remain seated while the police boarded the plane. Two of the biggest, baddest and to me, most beautiful police officers I have ever seen came aboard and carried him away. I've never been more thankful for police.
I called my wife to let her know what had happened and that I had to go with the FBI and police for interviews and witness statements.
Since 9/11 all of those years ago I have wondered what I would do in an airplane situation. Now I know and I hope that I never have to again. I was told that the FBI, police and airline will be in touch. I haven’t heard a thing yet. I hope that they don't let him off and bury it. He needs help and 300 people were at risk.
I just needed the mental therapy of telling this story somewhere. Thank you if you took the time to read it.
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