Drunk Briton's Terror Rant Forces Flight to Land, Court Hears

A Briton is due to appear before a US court after forcing a Delta Airlines flight to divert because he allegedly got drunk and said he was a terrorist with links to Osama bin Laden.

Aiden Mackle, 44, of Portadown, Co Armagh, drank several small bottles of wine before becoming abusive and punching a member of the flight crew, according to reports of an initial court hearing.

The flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Dublin on Friday was diverted to Bangor, Maine, following the incident, the Bangor Daily News newspaper reported.

Mackle is accused of intimidating and assaulting members of the flight crew and is scheduled to reappear in court tomorrow.

According to court documents from the initial hearing, flight attendants and passengers reported Mackle was being loud as the plane boarded and during takeoff, and was asked to quieten down. He was later seen drinking three or four small bottles of wine.

Later in the flight Mackle was suspected of smoking a cigarette in a toilet, and when challenged by a staff member claimed he was linked to Osama bin Laden and planned to hijack the plane.

When told to calm down, the court was told Mackle replied: "OK, I'm a terrorist. Go ahead and land the plane."

As the captain decided to divert the flight, Mackle punched a crew member in the stomach before being restrained with handcuffs. At this point, the court heard Mackle said he would blow up the plane and refused to tell the flight crew where his carry-on bag was stowed.