Attempted Hijacking of Alaska Airlines 737 Leaves 3 Injured

A man who may have been given orders to hijack a plane and fly it overseas gave crews at a Montana Airport a very hard time earlier in October. Following a physical ordeal, the man was arrested, removed from the airport, and is now facing multiple charges.

Anarchy on Alaska Air

On October 22, Justin Seymour, 34, breached security at Missoula Montana Airport. A detailed report reveals Seymour sped past TSA security gates with guards pursuing him. Seymour then managed to bypass gate A1 and advanced toward Alaska Airlines flight 697, which recently landed at the airport and was in the middle of deplaning. A female Horizon Air employee got in Seymour's path on the way to the plane, but Seymour shoved her to the ground, "straining tendon muscles connected to her clavicle".Seymour boarded the Alaska Airlines aircraft without any other security measures. 

A female Alaska flight attendant from inside the plane noticed Seymour entering and tried to shield him from the flight deck. Seymour shoved her into the cockpit door. A second flight attendant got involved, trying to distract Seymour as the first attendant attempted to secure the cockpit door with a deadbolt lock. He closed the cockpit door on the first attendant's hand and fingers. Police officers shortly boarded the plane where they detained the 34-year-old. Seymour yelled at the officers that he "had to go to Estonia". He was escorted off the plane and placed in handcuffs.
 

Bad Advice from "Bad People"

During a court hearing, Seymour explained: 

“All I had to do was fly the plane, but I didn’t...I thought I was going to be able to.” 

He then stated that "bad people" told him to hijack the plane, and then take it to Seattle, Washington followed by Estonia. When asked if Seymour knew how to fly, he replied, "It seems easy enough to learn".

Seymour was also aware that he bypassed the security checkpoint at the Montana airport, stating he "ran through" it.

The man was escorted to the Missoula County Detention Facility. He is currently charged with felony robbery and felony aggravated burglary and is being held on a $500,000 bond.