The following is a statement by the Massachusetts Department of Justice.
BOSTON – An Indian national was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday for allegedly stabbing two minor victims with a metal fork while on board a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany on Oct. 25, 2025. The defendant was previously admitted to the United States on a student visa and was enrolled in a master’s program in biblical studies. At the time of the alleged incident, the defendant did not have lawful status in the United States.
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was indicted on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Usiripalli was apprehended immediately following the incident and charged by complaint on Oct. 27, 2025. He remains detained pending trial and will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date…