A passenger aboard a Las Vegas-bound flight fashioned a weapon out of pens and rubber bands and stabbed a fellow passenger in a bloody, unprovoked attack, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n Julio Alvarez Lopez was charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the Jan. 24 attack aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 604, which had left Seattle at 6:10 a.m., authorities said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe aircraft landed safely, and law enforcement took one passenger into custody after the plane arrived at the gate,\u201d the airline said in statement to NBC News on Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019re thankful for our crew for their professionalism in the handling of the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n Lopez had been acting \u201cfidgety,\u201d a person sitting next to him told investigators, before he went to the bathroom late in the flight and returned to launch an attack on the man seated across the aisle, according to a complaint by FBI Special Agent Anthony Needler.<\/p>\n There was \u201cblood everywhere,\u201d according to Lopez\u2019s seat neighbor.<\/p>\n Lopez eventually stopped the stabbing, dropped the homemade weapon, moved toward the front of the plane, yelled, \u201cI\u2019ll only talk to the FBI,\u201d and took an empty seat, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n The court document included pictures of the unidentified victim, who appeared to have bruises and cuts around his right eye.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defendant armed himself with pens wrapped in rubber bands,\u201d the complaint said. \u201cThe defendant stated, \u2018I planned on attacking and killing him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Lopez was restrained and taken into custody when the Boeing 737-900 landed at Terminal 3 of Harry Reid International Airport, officials said.<\/p>\n Lopez had never met the victim, yet believed him to be a cartel agent following him, authorities said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defendant felt the Mafia had been chasing him the last few months,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n The victim, identified only by the initials C.R., just happened to be a sworn law enforcement officer, though the complaint did not list the agency that employs him.<\/p>\n The victim\u2019s wife was also hurt in the attack as she was shielding the couple\u2019s 7-year-old son, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the interview, the defendant admitted to the FBI agents that he was trying to stab C.R. in the eye to reach C.R.\u2019s brain to kill him,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n Lopez\u2019s federal public defender could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-02\/240222-seattle-vegas-flight-stabbing-victim-inline-se-1153a-5034cd.jpg\")
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