Antisemitic Midair Attack Forces American Airlines Flight 618 to Divert

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Jonathan Cahn, the bestselling Messianic Jewish rabbi and author, has stated that he was the previously unidentified passenger who was the target of a violent incident on American Airlines Flight 618, adding that the confrontation involved an explicit antisemitic threat, attacks on his faith, and a physical struggle which in the end led to the flight being diverted to Baltimore.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the flight on September 3, which was flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark, reported a passenger disturbance and then landed safely at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at about 10:15 p.m.

The passenger, who was identified as 67-year-old Arthur Layne Lundeen from Arizona, was finally held back using zip ties and duct tape after he became violent. He was arrested by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police on charges such as second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, and the FBI is looking into the case for the possibility of bringing in federal charges.

According to Cahn, the commonly circulated versions of the incidents involving racial slurs and a troublesome airline passenger omit a key aspect of what actually took place.

“I was the unidentified passenger,” Cahn said in a lengthy video recounting the encounter. “And I was actually attacked 30,000 feet in the sky.”

From Friendly Conversation to Antisemitic Rage

Cahn said that the encounter started off in a peaceful way since a last-minute change of seats put him next to Lundeen; the two then spent some time talking about their families, Cahn’s books, and finally religion.

Cahn stated that he told Lundeen that he was Jewish and held the belief in Yeshua, Jesus, and then explained the Gospel after Lundeen had described his negative experiences with religious people.

When Lundeen asked how Cahn could know that God was real, Cahn replied that he had talked about biblical prophecy relating to the Jewish people being scattered among the various nations, undergoing persecution, and then returning to the land of Israel. He also mentioned personal experiences which had led him to believe that God was real.

Cahn stated that Lundeen was pleasant in listening and taking part in the conversation for a great deal of it.

As Cahn says, a change took place almost immediately.

Cahn recalled that at that moment, in an instant, everything changed when he told him about the Gospel and the power and the reality of God.

Lundeen is said to have started cursing Jesus and God and to have abused Cahn with obscenities, before switching back and forth between hostility and attempts at friendly conversation; at one time Cahn noticed that Lundeen reached across and put his hands around his neck, an action which at first looked like a joking imitation of a chokehold.

The situation became even more intense when Lundeen saw the cover of Cahn’s recently published book, The Altar of Pergamon: The Mystery of the Dark Angel and the Future of the World, displayed on his laptop.

Cahn said that when he saw the cover it had the effect of setting off a reaction in him.

Cahn stated that Lundeen then specifically threatened him on the grounds of him being Jewish by telling him that he would punch his “Jewish face” before starting to hit him in the chest and proceeding towards his face.

Cahn stated that he had repeatedly attempted to disengage rather than retaliate.

“I’m trying not to fall into this trap,” he recalled. “I’m restraining myself.”

Struggle Over Cahn’s Laptop

As the situation got worse, Cahn said that he tried to leave his seat with his laptop.

According to his account, Lundeen suddenly lunged toward him and grabbed the computer, violently attempting to wrestle it from his hands.

Cahn took the laptop after the two of them had been struggling over it, and according to Lundeen he grabbed Cahn’s left arm, re-injuring a shoulder which Cahn stated had only just recovered from a previous injury.

Other passengers then intervened.

Juan Mejia, who had been a member of the law enforcement forces, and the other passenger, Richard O’Lenick, assisted in overpowered Lundeen. The flight attendants handed out zip ties and duct tape, after which Lundeen was tied down to his seat. Mejia later stated that Lundeen bit him while the struggle was taking place.

American Airlines stated that it does not tolerate violence and commended its staff for their professionalism.

Cahn: ‘We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood’

Cahn interpreted the extraordinary change in his seatmate’s behavior and the ensuing attack through the biblical framework of spiritual warfare.

He repeatedly pointed to Ephesians 6:12: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood,” but against principalities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil.

Cahn stressed that he does not personally hate Lundeen and added that he is praying for him.

“I have nothing against him,” Cahn said. “I pray for him. I pray for his best. I pray he gets saved.”

Cahn believes the episode was spiritually connected to the message of The Altar of Pergamon, which was released only two days before the flight. The book examines the ancient site identified in Revelation 2:13 with the words “where Satan’s throne is”. It explores Cahn’s belief that spiritual forces behind antisemitism and opposition to God’s purposes continue operating through history.

That spiritual interpretation is Cahn’s own assessment of the incident and is separate from the criminal investigation into Lundeen’s conduct.

For Cahn the antisemitic threat also points to something more profound than a single act of violence on an aircraft.

He argues that hatred of the Jewish people has repeatedly surfaced throughout history precisely because of Israel’s place in God’s redemptive purposes. In his video, Cahn described antisemitism as ultimately spiritual in origin, pointing from Pharaoh’s attempted destruction of Hebrew sons to Haman, Herod, the Holocaust, and modern hostility toward Israel.

Yet Cahn’s final message was not one of fear.

The same testimony that describes a violent confrontation 30,000 feet above the ground ends with a declaration of confidence that darkness does not have the final word.

For Christians watching antisemitism again surface openly in the West and around the world, the incident is another sobering reminder to stand firmly against hatred of the Jewish people while recognizing that Scripture calls believers neither to panic nor retreat.

The battle may be real, Cahn said, but so is the victory.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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