A 29-year-old Turkish migrant living in Germany was arrested after allegedly refusing to sit next to a woman on a flight to Dusseldorf, invoking Sharia law before assaulting a female flight attendant who confronted him.
The incident occurred on June 1 aboard a flight to Germany. After the aircraft landed in Dusseldorf at approximately 6:59 am, German federal police arrested the man, who struck a flight attendant in the face after she addressed his refusal to sit next to a female passenger, according to a report from the German newspaper Bild. The criminal complaint was forwarded to Dusseldorf police, who are continuing the investigation.
"According to initial witness statements, the man invoked Sharia law and refused to sit next to a woman,” a police spokesperson told the outlet.
The suspect reportedly cited Sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code, as justification for refusing the seating. However, Sharia law has no legal standing in Germany.
The suspect later confessed to the crime to law enforcement, where he insulted the officers who confronted him in Turkish. One of the federal police officers speaks Turkish and was able to translate, which led the suspect to not only be charged with assault but also a charge of insult.
Reports initially said that the incident occurred on a Turkish Airlines flight, but a representative for the airline said on Friday that the incident was unrelated to the company.
