Four men have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a disturbance aboard a Southwest Airlines flight that led to an unscheduled landing in Amarillo, Texas.
Jonathan Khalid Petras, Essa Solaqa, Khalid Yohana and Wisam Imad Shaker, all of San Diego, entered their pleas Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Clinton Averitte in Amarillo.
Petras, Solaqa, Yohana and Shaker are all charged with interfering with a flight crew aboard a Aug. 31 flight from San Diego to Chicago. Convictions could mean up to 20 years in prison each.
Charges against Saiman Hermez and Ghazwan Asaad Shaba were dismissed last week in what prosecutors called "the interest of justice."
An affidavit said the six became disruptive and refused to heed flight attendants' instructions, behaved loudly and aggressively, and used obscene language.
