texas

2 Convicted of Disrupting Southwest Airlines Flight

Two California men have been convicted of disrupting a Chicago-bound Southwest Airlines flight.

Jonathan Khalid Petras and Wisam Imad Shaker were convicted Thursday in Amarillo, Texas, of interference with a flight crew and aiding and abetting.

Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

An affidavit said Petras, Shaker and four other men boarded Flight 1522 in San Diego last August and sat together. Prosecutors said the men became aggressive, used obscene language when denied alcohol and refused instructions from flight attendants.

Pilots eventually diverted the plane to Amarillo.

All six were detained when the jet landed at Rick Husband International Airport. The flight continued to Midway International Airport after a brief delay.

Essa Solaqa and Khalid Yohana were acquitted Thursday. They, along with Petras and Shaker, pled not guilty to the charges in October 2015. Charges against two other men, Saiman Hermez and Ghazwan Asaad Shaba, were previously dismissed "in the interest of justice."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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