What did Francisco Severo Torres do? Massachusetts man charged over attempted stabbing in United Airlines flight

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, allegedly attempted to stab a flight attendant in the neck on a flight to Boston on Sunday. The United Airlines plane was on its way to Boston from Los Angeles when Torres allegedly began tampering with the exit door.

As per reports, Francisco Severo Torres was confronted by flight attendants, who suspected him of tampering with the door after another flight attendant reportedly saw him near the door. This led to him attacking one of the attendants with a broken spoon.

The flight's crew members and other passengers successfully restrained him, and as soon as the flight landed at Boston’s Logan International Airport, authorities took Torres into custody. He reportedly told investigating officers that he wanted to jump off the plane.

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Francisco Severo Torres was reportedly behaving aggressively on the United Airlines flight

According to authorities, the scuffle began around 45 minutes before the plane was about to land in Boston. Flight attendants saw that the exit door’s handle was moved about one-fourth of the way before getting unlocked. The crew immediately fastened and secured the door. Another flight attendant claimed to have seen Torres near the exit door.

Upon being asked about the incident, Francisco Severo Torres asked whether he was caught on camera. Shortly after that, he approached two flight attendants and attempted to stab one of them thrice.

The crew, along with other passengers, quickly restrained him and considered him a threat. He was arrested immediately after the flight landed at Logan International Airport. According to Lisa Olsen, a fellow passenger, Francisco Severo Torres was acting aggressively on the flight. Later, during the investigation, one of the passengers said that Torres had asked him at the beginning of the flight about an emergency door handle.

Francisco Severo Torres spoke to investigators and admitted to having tried to open the exit door. He said that he broke the spoon in the bathroom door and tried to open the exit door. He also admitted to being aware of the fact that many people could have died if he had succeeded in opening the door. It was revealed that no passenger on the flight was harmed.

A fellow passenger filmed the incident and captured Torres threatening to “kill every man on this plane,” and being aggressive. He was heard shouting, and saying,

“So, where’s the Homeland Security with the gun? Because I’m waiting for them to point the gun at me, so I can show everybody that I won’t die when I take every bullet in that clip to wherever in my body they shoot it, and then I will kill every man on this plane!”

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United Airlines has banned Torres

United Airlines stated that they will ban Francisco Severo Torres from flying with them, shortly after the investigation gets over. The airlines released a statement addressing the incident. They thanked their crew and customers for their quick action.

“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was restrained after becoming a security concern on United flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston.”

The statement further read,

“We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United pending an investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.”

Torres has been arrested, and if convicted, he can face up to life in prison and also might have to pay a fine of up to $250,000, as confirmed by prosecutors. Authorities revealed that in 2021, Francisco Severo Torres filed a lawsuit against Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, which was, however, dismissed in Massachusetts’s federal court. In a 2021 lawsuit, Francisco Severo Torres claimed that severe spinal pain related to a car accident in 2014, was misdiagnosed as a mental illness.

He further described himself as “the world’s greatest Artist of all time.” Francisco Severo Torres claimed to possess around $50 billion and a license to carry both explosives as well as firearms for personal protection. The court dismissed the case, as it considered the case to be a state matter.

Torres made his first court appearance in the US District Court on Monday and has been detained until his next appearance on Thursday.