Passenger charged with attempted murder after flight emergency exit incident

Jamsheer Athanikkal, a 36-year-old Indian national, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit of a Batik Air flight at 30,000 feet. The incident occurred mid-air on a flight traveling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Kochi, India.

Athanikkal is accused of damaging the emergency exit window panel and threatening fellow passengers and cabin crew without provocation. The chaos was eventually contained when passengers and crew members overpowered the suspect and restrained him using cable ties. Following the incident, the pilot returned the aircraft to Malaysia, where Athanikkal was arrested.

During initial interrogations, Athanikkal reportedly stated that he "felt like dying while travelling on the flight." Authorities are currently conducting a detailed investigation into his motives and are seeking to perform tests to ascertain his mental condition. Police are also examining his health history and interviewing flight crew and passengers to complete the probe.