(BOSTON) A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt diverted to Boston on October 25, 2025, after federal authorities say a passenger stabbed two teenagers with a metal fork during meal service, prompting the cockpit crew to cut the transatlantic journey short and land at Logan International Airport. The disturbance aboard Lufthansa flight LH 431, a Boeing 747 carrying 285 passengers and crew members, ended with the suspect taken into custody on arrival and two 17-year-old boys treated for injuries.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said 28-year-old Indian national Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli allegedly stabbed one teen in the left clavicle area and then struck a second teen in the back of the head, causing a laceration. According to the office, one of the teenagers was lightly sleeping in a middle seat when he awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him. The alleged stabbing occurred during meal service on the Lufthansa flight, which had departed Chicago for Frankfurt before the crew diverted to Boston.
Prosecutors said the attack unfolded in close quarters. After allegedly striking the first teenager, Usiripalli
“lunged toward the second teenager seated beside him and struck him in the back of the head,”
causing a cut that drew immediate attention from people nearby. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that when flight crew members moved to intervene and subdue him, Usiripalli
“raised his hand, formed a gun gesture with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger.”
He then allegedly slapped a female passenger and tried to slap a member of the flight crew as the situation escalated at altitude.
With two minors hurt and a disturbance continuing inside the cabin, the cockpit crew made the decision to divert. The airline said the aircraft landed in Boston approximately five and a half hours after departing Chicago. The decision to land at Boston Logan International Airport brought the incident under the jurisdiction of federal authorities in Massachusetts, where officers boarded the aircraft and took Usiripalli into custody. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the arrest occurred immediately upon arrival, ending a tense episode that interrupted the long-haul crossing and left hundreds of travelers stranded overnight.
The incident prompted an abrupt change of plans for everyone aboard. Lufthansa said
“all passengers were provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights,”
and added that the airline
“made every effort”
to accommodate travelers during a period of high hotel occupancy in the Boston area. The airline’s statement pointed to a night of scrambling for rooms and onward flights, as staff worked to protect connections and help families, teenagers, and older passengers who expected to be in Germany by morning.
Federal prosecutors charged Usiripalli with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. If convicted, the charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The count focuses on the alleged use of a metal fork as a weapon inside the aircraft, and the intent prosecutors say accompanied the strikes that injured both 17-year-olds.
Authorities identified the flight as Lufthansa LH 431, a regularly scheduled service between Chicago and Frankfurt that typically operates overnight and arrives in Germany the following day. On this flight, the chain of events during meal service—first the alleged stabbing, then the gestures, then the slaps—shifted the crew’s focus from routine international operations to crisis response. The report from the U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized the precise sequence: an initial strike to the left clavicle of one teen, a lunge and blow to the back of the head of the other, and the alleged threatening gesture with fingers in the mouth, followed by a slap to a female passenger and an attempt to slap a crew member who tried to help.
The agency also disclosed details about Usiripalli’s immigration status. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was admitted to the United States on a student visa to pursue a master’s degree in biblical studies but
“presently does not have lawful status”
in the country. The immigration detail places the criminal case within a broader context often handled in federal court, where status questions can run parallel to a criminal prosecution. Prosecutors said he is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, an initial step that will determine custody and the timetable for further proceedings.
As the Lufthansa flight settled on the ground in Boston, immediate priorities shifted to medical checks for the teenagers, security for the cabin, and passenger care. For many travelers heading to Europe, the diversion meant missed connections and disrupted plans across multiple countries. Lufthansa’s plan to rebook people
“on the next available flights”
signaled that some would continue the same day while others would linger in Boston. The airline noted the added challenge of
“a period of high hotel occupancy in the Boston area,”
a factor that complicated the logistics of placing hundreds of people in rooms on short notice.
The alleged gun-like gesture described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the slap that followed gave the incident an urgency that left little choice for the pilots but to divert. On a long transatlantic route, flight crews are trained to stabilize the cabin and seek the nearest suitable airport when a passenger poses a continuing risk. In this case, federal authorities said the flight’s return to the United States for an unscheduled landing at Boston Logan enabled law enforcement to take control and gather statements from crew and passengers as evidence for the assault charge.
The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon on an aircraft underscores how everyday objects handed out during service can become dangerous when wielded with force. The metal fork described by prosecutors is a standard item in many international cabins during meal service. In the cramped space of a row of seats, the first blow to the left clavicle area and the second to the back of the head of the teenager seated beside him created injuries visible enough to draw a swift response from crew and nearby passengers, according to the account provided by federal authorities.
Passengers left behind at Boston Logan faced a long night of logistics after the aircraft halted its journey several hours short of Frankfurt. Lufthansa’s statement that it
“made every effort”
to find rooms and rebook on a weekend of high occupancy suggests the airline leaned on local partners to move hundreds of people into hotels and onto alternative flights. Travelers who boarded in Chicago anticipating a standard overnight crossing instead experienced a security incident, an emergency descent into Boston, and an unexpected stay before continuing on to Europe.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has not announced a specific date for Usiripalli’s first appearance in Boston federal court but said it would occur at a later date. When it does, prosecutors are expected to present the single count described in their statement, and a judge will address questions of custody and the next steps in the case. The immigration detail—admission on a student visa for a master’s degree in biblical studies, with the office stating he
“presently does not have lawful status”—
will remain in the background of the criminal case, though it is separate from the assault charge itself.
For Lufthansa, the episode adds strain to a busy transatlantic schedule, with one Boeing 747 and its crew pulled off routine service while the airline handled diversions, hotels, and rebookings. For the teenagers and their families, the focus shifts to recovery from the laceration and clavicle-area injury described by prosecutors, and to cooperation with investigators. The specifics provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office offer a tightly framed picture of what happened in the cabin, from the moment a 17-year-old awoke in a middle seat to the slap that followed efforts to contain the disturbance.
The case will be prosecuted in Massachusetts because the aircraft diverted to Boston and federal law covers criminal conduct on planes within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts shared details of the alleged conduct and the potential penalties, which include up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 if Usiripalli is convicted. The office’s public statements can be found through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Saturday’s diversion placed the Lufthansa flight at the center of a criminal investigation and a complex customer-service operation in Boston rather than in Frankfurt, where families, business travelers, and students had planned to arrive on Sunday morning. It also sharpened questions about cabin safety when a simple utensil becomes a weapon and crew must act quickly. As the legal process moves ahead in Boston, the alleged stabbing on October 25, 2025 stands as the defining moment of a flight that began as a routine Chicago-to-Frankfurt crossing and ended with an arrest, two injured teenagers, and hundreds of passengers spending an unexpected night in Massachusetts.
This Article in a Nutshell
On October 25, 2025, Lufthansa flight LH 431 from Chicago to Frankfurt diverted to Boston after passenger Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli allegedly stabbed two 17-year-old boys with a metal fork during meal service. The Boeing 747, carrying 285 people, landed at Boston Logan where federal authorities arrested Usiripalli. He faces one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in the special aircraft jurisdiction, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Lufthansa housed and rebooked passengers amid high hotel demand while the federal investigation and court process proceed in Boston.
