Passenger Causes No-Mask Disturbance on Flight to New York... "Up to 20 Years Imprisonment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Kim] A man in his 20s from Ireland who refused to wear a mask and caused a disturbance on a flight to the United States faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to foreign media on the 22nd, Shane McInerney (29) from Ireland boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Dublin, the capital of Ireland, to New York on the 7th. A former soccer player turned coach, he was heading to the United States to work at a soccer academy in Florida.

However, during the 8-hour flight, he repeatedly refused the flight attendants' requests to wear a mask dozens of times. In the process, he hit a flight attendant, threw an empty beverage can, struck another passenger's head, and kicked the seat in front of him, causing damage.

Not stopping there, he walked from the economy class to first class to complain to the flight attendants about the food, and while being escorted back to his seat, he lowered his pants and exposed his buttocks to the flight attendants and passengers.

He was eventually arrested by the police upon arrival in New York.

Passengers were frightened by his behavior, and the flight attendants even considered landing at another airport to remove him, the FBI reported.

McInerney was charged with assaulting flight attendants and causing a disturbance, and was released on bail after paying $20,000. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that if he is found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.