A 33-year-old man who apparently made several threats to harm passengers and flight crew while traveling from Qatar to the US earlier this month has been indicted in federal court in Houston.
Joseph Ferrarone has been charged with interfering with a flight crew, and if convicted could face up to 20 years in jail, local media in Texas reported, citing court documents.
The defendant previously served in the US Army in Afghanistan and may have been suffering mental health issues.
He apparently became disruptive on a Dec. 1 Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Pencil threat
The passenger was returning to the US from Thailand via Doha and flying in economy class when the incident happened, the publication stated, continuing:
“Ferrarone allegedly threatened to pour a supposed chemical concoction on the plane’s window to melt a hole in it and cause it to explode. He also allegedly pulled out a mechanical pencil and said he’d previously used it on 15 people.
‘I’ve killed in the past and I’ll kill again,’ Ferrarone supposedly said as he repeatedly kicked the seat in front of him while on Flight 713.”
The passenger remained in his seat and was guarded by at least two flight crew members during the 15-hour trip to Houston.
Speaking to AP, the defendant’s attorney said that Ferrarone has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial Feb. 2. Thomas Berg added that his client remained in custody without bond pending mental health tests.
Qatar Airways has yet not commented on the matter.
Thoughts?
I am surprised that a veteran with mental issues has been put on a civil flight. Don’t soldiers go back home on military flights?
And if he has mental issues due to the war (typical of many veterans in the States) why putting him in jail? The answer would be: he needs treatment and be followed by a psychiatrist
Another article says that he was coming back from vacation in Thailand, that’s why he is on a civilian plane. Not sure if this is the case with him, but it is sad that when veterans come back they are not properly taken care of in terms of their mental issues caused by their duty
He was on a flight from Thailand not from a war zone, obviously on some kind of holiday or something. There is no screening process for PTSD when purchasing airline tickets – or mental issues – that would not only be discriminatory but would probably keep half the public from boarding a plane.
I would add to the other replies that military members (at least in the U.S.) often fly commercial when they are reporting for duty or going on break. This is one of the main drivers of U.S. carriers’ (United and Delta) service to the GCC, as military members connect in Dubai or Kuwait to Bahrain, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
Strange the customs did not feel suspicious of this mental person and let him board the plane
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, just take a look at the number of mental people who post on DN, customs allowed them all through.
One example is you
I was referring to Taliban loving stone age mentality scum like yourself, among many others…
lol
they let gandus like you in.
Its strange that airlines and others come out with stories like, that the person was unstable or had a mental problem and so on and so forth to justify their actions to nail the victim. How come he travelled half the world and nobody found that he had a mental problem until he got on this particular flight
… Because those with PTSD cope just fine a good portion of the time until they experience something that will trigger an episode. Mental health issues are not always easily detected which is why they are difficult to treat.
if its an arab they call it a terrorist act and if it’s a vet they call it mental issue …
Man there are some really messed up people in the US
And in other news..”The remains of a British teacher, living in Doha, were found smoldering in the desert. A Qartari man has been charges with rapjng then stabbing her to death. His friend is charged with helping the first “really NOT messed up person” burn her body.”
He is and so is this guy, But you’re going off topic bro
I followed your lead.
The topic was about this US dude and so i was talking about the US,
You’re not very good at keeping track.
No you said ‘people”, plural, not singular as in this one guy. You’re not very good at keeping YOUR hate out of the conversation.
First off it was about US people and not Qatar, But you had to bring Qatar into the subject because you’re so infatuated by my country, Second it’s not hate, It’s just my opinion and what i experience from media, Obviously they are not all like that guy 🙂
Some of the comments here really amaze me. First of all, Veterans are on civilian flights all the time, just because you are or were in the military at some point doesn’t mean you only travel in military planes.
Also, just because he suffers from mental illness doesn’t mean he’s absolutely crazy and acting like a lunatic all day, anywhere between 30-50% of ALL people suffer from a mental problem at some point in their lives, and many don’t even know it. Someone with a mental disorder isn’t crazy or necessarily detectable, nor should they be banned from flights because disorders range from mild to severe and believe it or not, this case could also possibly be classified as mild, anything might have triggered his outburst.
The only thing I can criticize about this is that usually in a situation like this there is some protocol to emergency land the plane rather than continue on a 15 hour flight, unless they were already above the ocean when the threats started.
I don’t understand why my comment was deleted. In response to A qtr. He is making an incorrect statement trying to reinforce a perceived racism which doesn’t exist. The fact still remains he was not called a terrorist because it was not for political or religious reasons, he did not shout Allah Akbar as he tried to commit his lunatic acts, he was and is just mentally unstable.
People are too quick to hide behind racism or that America, the west is to blame for all their problems rather than addressing the huge problem within their own communities. By doing this they allow the terrorist to gain justification for their hideous acts.
I don’t believe A-qtr made, in his short comment, any claims such as, “People are too quick to hide behind racism or that America, the west is to blame for all their problems rather than addressing the huge problem within their own communities.”
There are plenty of examples that support the view that acts of violence by someone who’s Muslim or Arab is quickly labeled as terrorism while the same acts by people from other groups are not.
Your own argument, saying that he didn’t shout Allah Akbar therefore he’s not a terrorist just goes to demonstrate that point. Just because someone shouts Allah Akbar does not mean that he or she are not, in fact, mentally unstable, and that it’s that mental instability that causes them to act violently.
Usually those who commit terrorist acts state some political or religious reason for it. (After all sane people don’t terrorise for no reason, that kind of defeats the reason for the terrorism)
If this man was of Arab decent then he would get judged on what he did and said. If he was an Arab saying I was trying to down the plane in the name of Islam he would be labelled a terrorist, if he was mentally unstable then he would be labelled that instead.
American soldiers of arab decent have committed terrorist acts in the U.S. and have been labelled as such.
Even Christian groups in America have committed terrorist acts and have been labelled as such.
A qtr’s comments are to play into the stereotype that arabs and Muslims are the oppressed group and are treated unfairly always. It’s just not true. In facts arabs are freer in the west than they are in their traditional homelands.
“the stereotype that arabs and Muslims are the oppressed group and are treated unfairly always.” If I had the time, and the interest, I’d provide you with plenty of links to real stories that show that this isn’t a mere stereotype. How would you describe Muslims in the U.S. who were told to change their Muslim sounding name to get / keep a job? Or the Muslim family that was asked to leave the plane because a white teen thought she heard them say they’re going to blow up the plane?
It’s interesting that you say those who commit terrorist acts usually do so for political or religious reasons; from what I’ve seen, almost all terror acts assumed to be religiously motivated actually have political demands that are masquerading as religious.
“from what I’ve seen, almost all terror acts assumed to be religiously motivated actually have political demands that are masquerading as religious.”
thats what happens when you dont segregate state and religion.
How about the Sri Lankan teacher jailed and deported for no reason? Because 2 12 yr old Qatari boys thought they’d teach him a lesson by lying after they didn’t like what he said after calling him a monkey?
What was it you said before? Oh yeah, “Deflect, deflect, deflect”. Your own words comeback to haunt you, just like the vile actions of Bush, Cheney, and the rest have comeback to haunt them these days.
And at least Qatari police doesn’t shoot people, or lock them in an illegal choke hold because of their skin color!
You after the know after the Boston bombings they arrested this Saudi college student who was just there to watch the race but because he was of Arab origin he was automatically made into a terror suspect. Even though he had nothing to do with it. He was later released but the damage is done. His rep is tarnished.
It amazes how people like you want to act like discrimination against Arabs,Muslims doesn’t exist.
Of course discrimination exists against arabs and Muslims, the reverse is also true. Try being a indian and Hindu in Qatar and you get it on a daily basis. Even worse in Saudi, I guess the saudi guy got the experience of being a lowly asian in his own country
Whether he shouts allah w akbar or not he “he was and is just mentally unstable”. I am guessing you must be homosexual to despise religion so much (not insulting, just a guess).
Lol.
No need to delete his comment, I thought him suggesting I was homosexual because I’m not religious to be very funny.
yeah i think he is
Wow, I’ve read some dumb stuff on here, but this…? Wow.
I’m guessing you must be kinda stupid to despise logic so much.
The racism does exist, It’s not perceived,
Not only terrorists say allahu akbar btw.
Just because you didn’t encounter it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen,
We should strive to make the world a more equal place 🙂
Tell Qatar, and Qataris specifically, that please.
I’m telling this to everyone
If he were an Arab or Muslim, the U.S. would’ve charged him with being a terrorist, and he’d be rotting in Gitmo by now.
why not naming him a terrorist??
A terrorist needs a cause. I don’t rememebr seeing any religious or political motivation being stated for his acts.
On a slightly related note, did anybody else see that Airbus ad showing 5 A-350 flying in formation including one with Qatar paint? Beautiful ad!!!!
A_qtr, Abdulrahman and Althani have just shown your racism. Put the false pride away and open your eyes.
yawn… you’re post is really meaningless.. like u
“a crime by any other name would still be a crime”