Unruly passenger forces unscheduled landing at Logan

By Globe Staff

A 49-year-old passenger who allegedly refused to move his arm out of the aisle on a trans-Atlantic flight became so belligerent last night that a pilot made an unscheduled landing at Logan International Airport, authorities said.

The passenger, John Murray of Glasgow, Scotland, was arrested when the US Airways flight touched down in Boston after 11 p.m. Murray is scheduled to appear today in East Boston Municipal Court on charges of interfering with a flight crew.

The flight was heading from Philadelphia to London when a verbal altercation occurred between Murray and the flight crew. Murray had some type of arm or hand injury which required a splint. He refused to move the bandaged limb out of the aisle despite several requests from the flight crew, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney's office.

"Mr. Murray allegedly became belligerent, stood up, and demanded to be brought back to Philadelphia," Wark said.