Dana Ghazi Mustafa, Assaulting a Federal Air Marshal, Virginia 2023

State: Virginia
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/woman-arrested-assaulting-federal-air-marshal" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A shocking incident unfolded on a United Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, resulting in the arrest of 27-year-old Dana Ghazi Mustafa from North Carolina.

According to court documents, Mustafa allegedly assaulted a Federal Air Marshal on board the flight, which departed from Frankfurt and landed at Dulles International Airport on February 22.

Flight attendants had initially encountered Mustafa in the lavatory, where she was smoking, and directed her to return to her seat. However, Mustafa became visibly upset, claiming that she was flying home to see her family, who had died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. But in a stunning revelation, Mustafa admitted to an FBI agent that the story was a lie.

Mustafa’s behavior escalated when she left her seat and attempted to enter the lavatory, striking the flint of a lighter. Two Federal Air Marshals intervened, and Mustafa allegedly refused to comply, becoming combative and resisting being handcuffed.

During the incident, Mustafa made a chilling statement, saying, ‘I’m going to stab everyone on this plane. Then kill myself. I’m Palestinian! That’s how we get down.’

Mustafa is now facing charges of assaulting a federal officer, with a maximum penalty of eight years in prison if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Mustafa is scheduled for a preliminary hearing tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Larissa Knapp, Special Agent in Charge, Counterterrorism Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard is prosecuting the case.

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