Man Jailed for Threatening to “Do a 9/11” on Ryanair Flight

Heavily intoxicated Jason Clarke made the threat while travelling on a plane from Malaga, Spain to Birmingham, England back in January.

A drunken passenger who announced that he was going to “do a 9/11” on-board a plane from Malaga, Spain, to Birmingham, England, has received an eight-month jail sentence. Jason Clarke, 47, made the threat on a Ryanair flight on 13^th January this year.

The Mirror reports that Clarke, who had consumed six pints of beer prior to boarding, was “abusive” to those around him during the flight. The paper also reports that he was seen crawling around on the cabin floor and threatened to urinate on his seat.

Clarke was arrested upon landing, but told police the day after the incident that he could not recall his behavior on the flight. He has pleaded guilty to boarding an aircraft while intoxicated and has since been jailed at Birmingham Crown Court.

Speaking to the court, the paper reports that prosecutor Peter Grice said, “During the flight the defendant was loud and abusive towards both passengers and crew members. It began with him singing loudly while listening to music on his headphones. After he was asked on at least six occasions to quiet down he swore at passengers.”

“He made comments about doing a 9/11 and taking the plane down. He threatened to kill them all,” Grice added.

While the court also heard that Clarke was suffering with serious mental health issues following the breakdown of a relationship, speaking of the incident, court recorder Anthony Warner said, “By the time you got on that flight you were obviously very seriously affected by drink. The other passengers were subjected to continuous abuse by you towards them. When your behavior was drawn to your attention you continued to be drunk and abusive.”

Warner described Clarke’s demeanor on the flight as “appalling.”

Rob Cowley, who was tasked with defending Clarke, admitted that his client “tends to turn to alcohol when things go wrong in his life and he feels unable to cope.” However, he added that Clarke expected to be taken into “immediate custody. He is quite prepared to face up to what he has done and take responsibility.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]