MINSK, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – The Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office has decided to extradite to Russia a Russian businessman accused of attempting to hijack a plane while drunk, an official spokesman said on Monday.
Russian prosecutors sent an extradition request to their Belarusian counterparts earlier this month for Sergei Kabalov, who failed to return from a vacation in Egypt. He was detained by police in Belarus on March 7.
Kabalov, a 54-year-old businessman from Saratov, started to behave violently when drunk on board a Kogalymavia airliner bound for Egypt on January 11, and tried to break into the cockpit. A criminal case was launched against him for attempted hijacking and assault. If convicted, Kabalov faces 12 years in prison.
A YouTube video made by another passenger shows Kabalov punching one male passenger on the nose and striking a flight attendant. He also yelled he was part of Russia’s intelligence services and threatened he “could kill anyone with two fingers.”
Kabalov’s case is one in a string of recent brawls caused by Russian airline passengers, prompting calls from politicians for a crackdown on on-board drinking.