November 25, 1999
Web posted at: 1:05 a.m. EST (0605 GMT)

BOSTON (CNN) -- A passenger aboard an American Airlines jet carrying 207 people was arrested late Wednesday for interfering with the flight crew after allegedly shouting vulgarities and growing increasingly unruly during a flight to London.

Hussam Jaber, 33, of Tennessee was arrested in Boston shortly after American Airlines Flight 38 was diverted to Logan International Airport after the crew reported an unruly passenger aboard the flight from Dallas to London.

Jaber was charged on federal counts of interfering the flight crew, an offense that could result in fines or jail time, said Phil Orlandella, an airport spokesman.

Orlandella said the passenger allegedly brought his own liquor aboard, began drinking heavily, stood up "making noise" and at one point "poked" a flight attendant. A co-pilot tried to calm the passenger to no avail, said Orlandella.

"When the co-captain left, he stood up and started again getting loud and using vulgarity," Orlandella said. "This is not a terrorist thing, just an intoxicated person. They gave him two chances and diverted the plane."

"He's with us now."

The Boeing 767 carrying 194 passengers and 13 crew members landed in Boston at 10:01 p.m. ET and state police immediately took the passenger into custody.

The plane was refueled before continuing on to London.