Minneapolis man indicted for altercation on airplane

Last update: November 6, 2008 - 11:12 PM

A Minneapolis man is accused of head-butting and spitting on another passenger during a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis in July.

According to a federal indictment filed Oct. 14 but just made public, Abdalla Abdi Haibe, 67, also intimidated the flight crew on the July 27 flight. If convicted, Haibe faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Few other details were made available, including what prompted the altercation. Airport police did not make a detailed report because the FBI took over the investigation, an airport police official said.

The FBI investigated because interfering with a flight crew and assault on a plane are both federal offenses, said E.K. Wilson, spokesman for the FBI's Minneapolis office. Wilson said it is "pretty standard" for the FBI to handle incidents involving airline passengers. Referring those cases to the U.S. Attorneys Office for prosecution "depends on the severity of the case."

This case, Wilson said, was considered serious enough for indictment.

Airport police and the FBI were waiting for Haibe when the plane landed.

A call to Northwest Airlines seeking details was not immediately returned.

JAMES WALSH