Unruly Passenger Arrested on Plane at Miami International Airport

Man in FBI custody after incident on flight from Jamaica

A passenger on a Miami-bound flight from Jamaica was arrested at Miami International Airport Friday morning after he became unruly, officials said.

Ryan Snider, 24, was arrested on American Airlines flight 320 from Montego Bay, the FBI said.

The plane landed at MIA at 10:12 a.m., officials said. Airport officials said they received an urgent call at 10:19 a.m., as the plane was taxiing, that there was an unruly passenger onboard.

American Airlines officials said the man stood up and appeared disoriented, and wasn't responsive to the crew's commands to sit down.

The plane's crew called for help after they had become concerned about his behavior and he started moving towards the front of the plane, officials said. The airline said he had to be subdued.

The FBI was investigating whether the suspect rushed the cockpit door.

"We are aware of an incident on a plane in bound to MIA today (AA 320) in which a passenger reportedly rushed the cockpit door," FBI spokesman Michael Leverock said in a statement. "The FBI is investigating the alleged incident, nevertheless the plane did land safely without damage to the plane or injuries."

Miami-Dade Police boarded the plane as it taxied to the gate and took Snider into custody. He was turned over to the FBI, officials said.

The FBI said there "appears to be no nexus to terrorism," and added that Snider, from Canada, was not on the no fly list.

Snider is expected to face federal charges which may include interference with a flight crew, the FBI said. His initial appearance in federal court in Miami is expected to be Tuesday.

Passenger Malik Cann, from Bermuda, said he was on the flight and that the man was pacing back and forth saying he wanted to get off the plane about 20 minutes before it landed.

"He lost it, that's basically all I can say, one minute he was cool and then the next minute he just got up and lost it," Cann said. "He was screaming, he wanted to get off the plane."

Cann said flight attendants told the man to take his seat but he didn't respond. He said he helped a couple other passengers subdue the man.

"He terrified a lot of people and there were a lot of people who were terrified by it," Cann said.

The FBI, ICE, ATF, FAMS, U.S. Border Patrol and Miami-Dade Police are still investigating the incident, the FBI said.

Check back with NBCMiami.com for updates.

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