Australian police arrest man accused of running naked onto airliner

MELBOURNE, Australia — A man accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane to turn around, has been arrested by police at the airport , officials announced Tuesday.

The incident happened at the start of what was supposed to be a 3-hour, 30-minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday evening, connecting the west coast city of Perth with Melbourne on the east coast.

Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to a “disruptive passenger”, an airline statement said.

Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and “the disruptive guest was disembarked,” Virgin said.

Police said “officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the plane in mid-flight and threw a crew member to the ground.”

“The man was transferred to hospital for evaluation, where he remains,” a police statement said.

It is not clear how or where on the plane the passenger removed his clothes.

Police plan to order the man to appear in a Perth court on June 14. The charges against him have not yet been finalized.

The airline apologized to “concerned guests”, adding that the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority.

The airline and police declined to comment beyond their statements.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. said it was her understanding that no one was injured during the incident.