An extraordinary police operation shook a regular Delta Airlines flight when federal officers stormed the cockpit immediately after the aircraft landed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday evening.
The incident erupted around 9:35 PM local time during flight 2809, which had arrived from Minneapolis amid extremely dense fog in the San Francisco Bay area. Officers from various law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Contra Costa County Sheriff, conducted a large-scale detention operation.
Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin reported that the arrest is related to extremely serious charges - possession of child pornographic material. First-class passenger Sarah Christianson provided emotional details to the "San Francisco Chronicle" about the dramatic moments.
According to her account, about ten officers with various service insignia and armed moved towards the cockpit, literally "storming" the interior of the aircraft. They marked the co-pilot, arrested him, and led him out through the central aisle under the eyes of shocked passengers.
The lead pilot tried to calm the passengers, sharing that he was just as confused about what was happening. Christianson described the incident as "scary and traumatic", telling local ABC television that she burst into tears immediately after disembarking.
The officers remained on the plane to collect the personal belongings of the detained person, who has not yet been publicly identified. Video footage of the operation was distributed by the aviation blog "A View From the Wing".
This incident comes just a week after another scandal involving a Delta pilot who was arrested in Sweden on suspicion of alcohol use before the flight, which both the pilot and the airline categorically denied.
The case has sparked serious public interest and questions about internal security and employee screening procedures in air transport.