An Emirati pilot is on trial in the UAE for drunkenly assaulting a stewardess and threatening to bomb an aircraft while he was off-duty.
After the incident took place on-board an Emirates flight in June, the 27-year-old pleaded guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday, according to Gulf News.
Media reports stated that the defendant got drunk and started causing trouble while he was a passenger on a flight from Madrid to Dubai.
He first began acting rowdily when a Romanian stewardess informed him that smoking is prohibited on board, after which he allegedly cursed at other passengers, insulted the female cabin crew, and punched her in the chest.
Having failed to talk him into refraining from inappropriate behavior, she shackled him with plastic handcuffs.
In response, the Emirati became increasingly loud and aggressive, threatening to kill the stewardess and to blow up the plane with explosives he claimed he was carrying.
He then banged his head against the TV screen in front of him and caused damage to a window.
The defendant was reportedly arrested as soon as the plane landed at the Dubai International Airport (DXB).
He was then charged with threatening the safety of the aircraft and its passengers, threatening to kill the stewardess, cursing crew members and other passengers, as well as causing damages worth 10,000 dirhams ($2,722) to Emirates' properties.
The Emirati pleaded guilty on Wednesday, but the trial is still underway and the penalty he will face is yet to be determined.