Man accused of running nude through airplane arrested by Australian police

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First Australian flight evacuating citizens from New Caledonia touches down

The French territory of New Caledonia has been consumed by riots sparked by electoral changes by the French government. Australia has begun to evacuate its citizens who are stuck there. (Credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Reuters)

• A man is accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight and knocking down a flight attendant.
• The Virgin Australia flight from Perth to Melbourne was forced to turn back before long. Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and the man was arrested.
• The man was transferred to a hospital for assessment, police say.

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 back, was arrested by police at the airport, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident happened early in what was scheduled to be a 3 hour and 30 minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast.

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

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Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and "the disruptive guest was offloaded," Virgin said.

Police said "officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor."

A Virgin Airlines plane takes off from Melbourne Airport in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 31, 2022. A man accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight on May 27, 2024, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane to turn back was arrested by police at the airport. (Con Chronis/AAP Image via AP)

"The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains," a police statement said.

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

Police expect to order the man by summons to appear in a Perth court on June 14. What charges he will face have yet to be finalized.

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The airline apologized to "guests impacted," adding the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority.

Both the airline and police declined comment beyond their statements.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that it understood nobody was injured during the incident.