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Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Punching JetBlue Flight Attendant

A man accused of punching a flight attendant and threatening to blow up a Florida-bound plane has pleaded guilty.

The Palm Beach Post reports 29-year-old Alija Kucuk pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to interfering with a flight attendant.

Kucuk was on a JetBlue flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport in October when witnesses say he ran down the aisle, pushed two flight attendants and punched a third. The witnesses say Kucuk also threatened to blow up the plane.

Kucuk, of Queens, New York, was also initially charged with threatening to destroy an aircraft. He declined to comment outside the courthouse.

His cousin has told reporters Kucuk had been going through a difficult time since his father was murdered a few years earlier.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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