American Airlines Flight 1561

American Airlines Flight 1561 was a passenger flight which was subjected to an attempted hijacking by Yemeni passenger Rageh Ahmed Mohammed Al-Murisi, on May 8, 2011. The attempt failed, with no injuries to the other 161 people onboard. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 737, was operating American Airlines' scheduled domestic service from O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California. Twenty minutes before the end of the flight, Al-Murisi attempted to gain access to the cockpit. He was subdued by crew members and passengers, and arrested on arrival at San Francisco.
Incident
The Boeing 737, carrying 162 people to San Francisco was approximately over Modesto, California. On approach to SFO, 20 minutes prior to landing, Yemeni passenger Rageh Ahmed Mohammed Al-Murisi
On al-Murisi's initial attempt to open the cockpit door, a flight attendant assumed he was looking for a restroom, and directed him to one.
The incident occurred days after the death of Osama bin Laden. Retired San Mateo police officer Larry Wright assisted in subduing al-Murisi, and said he was sure the man intended to crash the plane.<ref name="mercurynews1"/> Several passengers expressed the view that it was a thwarted terrorist attack.<ref name=SFgate/>
Al-Murisi was carrying a Yemeni passport, and a number of New York and California ID cards and documents (some expired), but did not have any possessions with him on other than an Apple charger cord, a pair of sunglasses, $47, and two post-dated checks to the amounts of $5,000 and $8,000.<ref name="mercurynews1"/> He was said to have no clear or known terrorist ties and Federal agents were investigating his background.<ref nameSFgate/><ref name"fosters1"/>
Charge
He was charged on May 10, 2011, with one count of interfering with a flight crew, which carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.<ref name="mercurynews1"/>

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