Man Indicted For Bringing Box Cutter On Tampa-Bound Flight: DOJ

ATLANTA, GA — An Ohio man accused of bringing a box cutter aboard a Tampa-bound flight and threatening to stab someone was indicted in federal court Thursday, according to the Department of Justice's Northern District of Georgia office.

Authorities said William Allen Liebisch, 42, of Cincinnati, is charged with suspicion of interfering with the duties of a flight crew and carrying a weapon aboard an airplane following the Nov. 11 incident.

Liebisch was on a flight to Tampa from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

According to authorities, Liebisch removed the blades of a box cutter he was carrying through a Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint; however, officials did not realize he had a spare blade, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a news release.

Liebisch is accused of waiting until the flight took off to insert the spare blade into the box cutter, which he initially used to clean his nails, Buchanan said. The spare blade was being stored in the box cutter's handle, Buchanan said.

A passenger told two flight attendants Liebisch said he would stab someone, and the attendants asked two male passengers for assistance, Buchanan said.

One of the men stood nearby in the back of the plane while the other man sat in the seat of the passenger who made the report, Buchanan said.

The men and attendants worked to keep Liebisch calm for the duration of the flight, Buchanan said.

The plane made an emergency landing at Hartsfield-Jackson and was evacuated, Buchanan said. Officers with the Atlanta Police Department were waiting at the gate, Buchanan said.

After the last passengers left the plane, Liebisch is accused of charging toward a flight attendant while holding his box cutter. A passenger tackled Liebisch from behind and Atlanta Police officers rushed onto the plane, Buchanan said.

A second box cutter was found in Liebisch's backpack, Buchanan said.

Following Liebisch's arrest, the plane left for Tampa the next morning, Buchanan said.

Liebisch must stay in custody as he awaits trial, Buchanan said.

“People have the right to travel in peace and free from fear of their fellow passengers,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a news release. “Passengers who disrupt flights with threats of violence will quickly learn that they will be answering for their conduct in federal court.”