A plane carrying four members of Congress to Washington, D.C. for a vote to end the government shutdown was forced to divert after a “disruptive passenger” caused a ruckus and allegedly shouted, “We live in a fascist state.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) wrote on Tuesday X that the American Airlines flight, which also included Arizona Republicans Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, made an emergency landing in Kansas City after the incident, according to a New York Post report.
According to FlightAware, the plane was in the air for roughly two hours and 41 minutes after departing from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport before landing safely at Kansas City International Airport around 6:15 p.m.
What happened on the flight?
A video shared by another passenger after the emergency landing shows Kansas City police officers boarding the Airbus A320 and escorting an unidentified woman off the plane, the report said.
As the woman was being removed, she was heard saying: “We live in a fascist state.”
About an hour after the flight was diverted, it took off from Kansas City and landed safely at Reagan National Airport at 9:01 p.m. Republican Greg Stanton later thanked the Kansas City Police Department for handling the situation “professionally and without incident.”
Although it remains unclear what specific behavior led to the emergency landing, American Airlines confirmed that it was caused by a “disruptive customer.”
In a statement to KSHB 41, the airline said, “On November 11, American Airlines Flight 1218 from Phoenix (PHX) to Washington, DC (DCA) was diverted to Kansas City (MCI) due to a disruptive customer.
Law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later departed again to DCA, where it landed normally. We thank our customers for their patience and our crew members for their professionalism.”
The US Congress on Wednesday (local time) approved a federal funding package to reopen the government after a record 43-day shutdown, sending the bill to President Donald Trump for approval.
According to the White House, Trump will sign the funding measure for the camera from the Oval Office.
CNN reported that the legislation ends the longest government shutdown in US history after weeks of intense political gridlock over the Obamacare-related program, which Republicans oppose.
(With input from agencies)
