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Reminder: Don't Talk About Shooting People Mid-Flight

JetBlue Flight 359 from JFK to Burbank late Monday night had to land in Salt Lake City so the FBI could arrest what it says was a drunken and unruly passenger. Shalom Yarimo, though, told local TV station KSL that everyone onboard just misunderstood him--including when he was chatting with another passenger about the people he shot while in Lebanon.

In an phone interview from his jail cell, the alleged troublemaker said he wasn't even drunk on the flight:

It wasn't on an empty stomach. It was a full stomach and I know how to drink and I don't go over.

After making a few trips to the bathroom, he admits, the crew told him they were diverting to Salt Lake City. But while Yarimo says the crew is just vilifying him, FBI Special Agent Timothy Fuhrman, who's heading up the case, paints a different picture:

Some of his activities included running up and down the aisles, opening the overhead bins, shouting at the flight attendants, making a statement he had shot people in Lebanon.

Yarimo is slated to make his first appearance in federal court today on charges of interfering with a flight crew, and he'll likely also face questions about his immigration status. The FBI says the Israeli may be in the US illegally.

Related Stories:
· Man Arrested on JetBlue Flight Talks to KSL [KSL]
· Unruly Passenger Forces Plane to Land in SLC [Salt Lake Tribune]
· Bad Seatmates coverage [Jaunted]

[Video: KSL.com]