An Icelandic man who tried to break into the cockpit of a passenger jet on its way to Keflavík on Thursday will shortly be allowed to return to Iceland and is not being charged with attempted hijacking, RÚV reports. The plane was rerouted to Stavanger, Norway and the incident initially reported as an attempted hijacking, but Norwegian police now believe that the man—who later said that he couldn’t remember anything of what happened on board—is ill and doesn’t pose any further threat.
The Wizz Air flight in question was en route to Iceland from Hungary early on Thursday morning when an Icelandic passenger in his sixties tried to break into the cockpit. The flight crew rerouted the plane to Norway where police boarded the plane and arrested the man. Before long, authorities in Norway reported that there was no evidence that the man was actually trying to hijack the plane; he was, however, believed to have been under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
The Icelander cooperated with Norwegian police and appeared to have no memory of the incident. Statements taken by witnesses aboard the flight corroborate the police’s version of events. He will need to be questioned by police once more on Friday but is unlikely to be charged as authorities believe that he was not in his right mind. After Friday’s interview, he will be allowed to return to Iceland.
