FLASH
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A 24-year-old Albanian man who tried to open an exit door mid-flight, forcing the plane to divert and make an emergency landing, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
He is Mario Nikprelaj, 24. Foreign media reports that he received two years of supervised release during his sentencing on Tuesday, January 13, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa.
The sentence comes months after Nikprelaj pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants in September 2025. The in-flight incident occurred on July 17, 2025.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in its release that Nikprelaj began making divisive and abusive statements to passengers and flight crew before the flight took off in Omaha. He refused to fasten his seatbelt, but a flight attendant eventually convinced him to do so and the plane took off.
Nikprelaj then “repeatedly removed his seatbelt and had to be told to put it back on” and “repeatedly stood up as the plane was taking off.”
When a flight attendant told him that he would be reported to law enforcement, Nikprelaj threatened to kill her.
After that, several passengers pressed the emergency call buttons after they noticed Nikprelaj began manipulating the emergency exit door next to his seat. They told authorities that they believed he was trying to open the door.
The incident was reported to the pilot, who made an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As this was happening, Nikprelaj stood up, took off his shirt and began pacing up and down the aisle, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Officers with the Cedar Rapids Police Department took him into custody after the plane landed. When officers searched him, they found a prescription bottle containing 41 alleged Xanax pills, which had not been in his name, according to the release.
Following his arrest, Nikprelaj was taken to the Linn County Correctional Center and charged with disorderly conduct, assault, possession of prescription drugs, tax stamps and first-degree harassment, the Cedar Rapids Police Department said in a press release shared on Facebook at the time.
The U.S. Attorney's Office noted in its latest release that Nikprelaj has a criminal history and was previously convicted of assault, resisting or obstructing a police officer. He also had prior convictions for domestic violence, disorderly conduct, breaking and entering, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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