Poughkeepsie Man Sentenced For Shouting ‘Jihad’ on Airplane

A Hudson Valley man has been sentenced to nine months in federal prison for shouting terrorist threats on an airplane.

David Patrick Diaz of Poughkeepsie was arrested in March of 2015 after an incident on a United Airlines flight to Denver. According to the Associated Press, Diaz yelled the word "jihad" and rushed the cockpit, forcing an emergency landing. The flight from Virginia to Denver was cut short after Diaz was tackled to the ground by a group of concerned passengers.

The thirty-six-year-old Poughkeepsie man also claimed that there was something in the belly of the aircraft, causing the crew and passengers to believe that there was a terrorist attack underway. Earlier this year Diaz pled guilty to interfering with a flight crew. According to his lawyer, the behavior was a result alcoholism and mental illness.

Diaz was sentenced to 9 months in prison in federal court on Tuesday. He was also ordered to pay United Airlines $22 thousand in damages.