A man attempted to hijack an Alitalia flight from Paris-Rome Sunday night, but was overpowered by other flight attendants. The 48-year-old man, from Kazakhstan originally and later identified as Valeriy Tolmachev from UNESCO, was in a “disturbed” state when he arose and assaulted a flight attendent with what appeared to be a pair of toenail clippers, according to the Corriere Della Sera (article is in Italian). He held the small knife to her throat for several minutes before he was overpowered.
He demanded that the plane be directed towards the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Thankfully, the other flight attendants and several passengers responded quickly and immobilized the man. A doctor on board the plane administered a sedative. The plane landed around 8:00 p.m. local time at the Rome’s airport.
The flight attendant was treated for minor injuries, but there were no other injuries. Tolmachev was arrested by police on the ground and taken away for questioning.
Not Intent on Arriving 
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