A man accused of assaulting passengers and crew members on a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, claimed he traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak with former President Donald Trump, according to an FBI affidavit reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Upon landing, the suspect, identified as Asterius Mutayoba Rulamka, made several statements, including that he had come to D.C. to talk to Trump. When questioned about his motives, he reportedly replied that he was “mad,” the document states. A search of Rulamka’s belongings uncovered a Texas driver’s license, and a background check revealed he had previously been flagged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2014 as a non-immigrant overstay, with immigration proceedings still pending.
The affidavit alleges that Rulamka, born in 1970, left his assigned seat during the flight and moved to the rear of the plane, where he yelled at a flight attendant and threatened to “f— him up” upon landing. He is also accused of assaulting a passenger who was filming the incident.
“The defendant noticed the filming and began attacking Victim-2, grabbing his arms and telling him he was ‘going to f— him up.’ He took Victim-2’s hat and glasses off his face and repeatedly struck him. At one point, he hit Victim-2 in the face near his left eye, causing bruising and a bloodshot eye,” the affidavit said.
Additionally, Rulamka allegedly attempted to swing at the flight attendant, who managed to dodge the blow but sustained a small laceration to his finger and a broken fingernail in the process.
Fox News Digital reached out to American Airlines for comment. The airline responded with a statement: “On March 5, law enforcement responded to American Eagle flight 5574 after its arrival in Washington, D.C. (DCA) due to a disruptive customer. We do not tolerate violence, and thank our team members for their professionalism.”
Mugshots of Rulamka and the FBI seal were included in the report, along with updates on other recent incidents involving unruly airline passengers.
Fox News’ Lillian LeCroy contributed to this report.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
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