Serbian Handball Team Earns Heroes’ Welcome After Subduing Out-of-Control Passenger

Members of the Vojvodina handball team were reportedly received by the President of Serbia after helping to restrain a passenger who threatened a Lufthansa flight this weekend.

Serbian investigators say a passenger aboard a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) on Sunday attempted to enter the flight deck and threatened to open an emergency exit door if he was not allowed into the cockpit. After a few tense moments, the erratic passenger, who was said to be a Jordanian native flying on a U.S.-issued passport, was restrained.

The passenger may have picked the wrong flight to act out on. Members of the Vojvodina handball team were returning home to Serbia on the flight. Team members sprung into action and helped to put a quick end to the flyer’s outrageous antics. Two of the Serbian team’s members helped to guard the man until the plane could land safely at BEG.

“About halfway into the flight he tried to open a plane door, but the cabin crew stopped him,” team president Milan Djukic told the AP. According to Djukic and other eyewitness accounts, the passenger seemed to be acting irrationally even before attempting to enter the flight deck and threatening to exit the plane mid-flight.

Team members are now being hailed as heroes in their native Serbia. According to media accounts, two of the players who helped defuse the midair drama were even honored with a personal meeting with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on Monday. Speaking to reporters, Nikolic praised the players as “heroic athletes” and called their actions a “courageous feat.”

[Photo: Milan Djukic (third from right)/Twitter]