FBI warns against unruly passengers amid busy travel season

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – FBI Cleveland is warning traveling passengers to remain “air aware” while flying amid a rising number of sexual assaults on board planes.

According to the FBI, sexual assault on an airplane is a federal offense and a criminal offense. It is said that the perpetrators of women and unaccompanied minors are usually men.

“Perpetrators look for easy opportunities to violate the victim’s space and trust. As the number of travelers increases during the holiday season, so does the number of malicious travelers,” said Greg Nelsen, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Cleveland. “That’s why we emphasize that travelers should exercise caution in the air, especially when attention can easily be diverted from our devices at the airport or during a flight.”

To help you know what to look out for, the FBI has identified certain behaviors to monitor:

“Although most perpetrators of sexual violence are known to the victim, airplane sexual assaults are unique in that victims usually do not know their attackers. Most often, the attacker sits directly next to the victim and takes advantage of this proximity. Victims are likely sitting in a middle or window seat and the perpetrator is closer to the aisle or aisle, effectively barricading them so that they have to move past the perpetrator to get out. Sexual assaults on airplanes follow a predictable pattern that can be routine for seasoned offenders. Because flights last only a few hours, attackers undertake an abbreviated grooming process to draw targets closer for inspection and exploitation.”

The FBI says there are typically six steps to perpetuating sexual violence:

1. Identification of the victim
2. Gaining trust
3. Satisfying a need
4. Isolation
5. Initiating sexual contact
6. Maintaining control

For more information, visit the FAA’s unruly passenger page website here.