An airline passenger has been arrested in Richmond after allegedly uttering death threats on an American flight that had to be diverted to YVR.
According to Richmond RCMP, the United Airlines flight from Anchorage to Denver was diverted due to the crew having “security concerns” with a passenger.
And at around 4 a.m. on Saturday, a large contingent of officers met the flight on the tarmac at the airport.
A male passenger was taken into custody without incident. No injuries were reported.
"We are…investigating a security concern originating onboard United Airlines flight UA1104,” said Richmond RCMP spokesperson Dennis Hwang.
“Their arrival in Canada was not a scheduled stop. Specifics about the exact nature of the security concern are under investigation but we can confirm this appears to be an isolated incident in which security protocols were enacted and the criminal code investigations remains active and ongoing.”
Passengers were escorted from the flight and security screened. They were scheduled to fly back out later on Saturday.
On Monday, Richmond RCMP stated that Nicholas Michael Aliksyuk, 54, of Duluth, Minnesota, has been charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and one count of mischief to property over $5,000.
Aliksyuk has been remanded into custody and remains in Canada.
A publication ban prevents any further information being released on the incident.
