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Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli: Indian Bible college student arrested for stabbing teens on flight with fork
Indian student Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was arrested in Boston after allegedly stabbing two teens with a metal fork on a Lufthansa flight.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, a 28-year-old Indian student from Moody's Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, was arrested in Boston for allegedly stabbing two teens with a metal fork on a Lufthansa flight on October 25. The flight was on the way to Frankfurt from Chicago but had to reroute and land at Boston after the alleged stabbing incident, where Usiripalli was arrested.
Usiripalli faces two count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to do bodily harm, the US Attorney's office in Massachusetts announced Monday. The attorney's office said that Usiripalli's student visa had expired, and his status in the country is illegal.
Who Is Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli?
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, who is reportedly a Telugu student at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, as per his LinkedIn profile, stabbed two 17-year-olds on the Lufthansa flight with a metal fork, seriously injuring them. He also slapped a passenger and a crew member when they tried to intervene in the alleged attack.
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The statement released by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said that Usiripalli attacked the two teens shortly after the meal was served on the flight. He reached the seat where one of the injured victims was sleeping, and as the victim woke up, he “lunged forward and stabbed the teenager in the collarbone before turning on another passenger and striking him in the back of the head.”
He then made a gun gesture with his hands, put it against his head, and pretended to shoot himself, the DA's office said. He reportedly also “slapped a female passenger and attempted to slap a flight crew member.”
Usiripalli could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, if convicted.
