A 35-year-old South African man, working on a cruise ship, was arrested in Juneau, Alaska’s capital, on Tuesday. He is accused of assaulting a woman and two security personnel with a pair of scissors while on board the ship, according to law enforcement officials. The man is now facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction, as announced by the U.S. attorney’s office. The identity of the man’s legal counsel remains undisclosed in online court records.
The man had recently started working for a cruise line and had boarded the Norwegian Encore in Seattle on Sunday, according to an affidavit from FBI special agent Matthew Judy. The ship had embarked on a weeklong voyage on the same day, with scheduled stops at several Alaskan ports, including Juneau, and British Columbia.
The alleged assault occurred west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, while the ship was on its way to Alaska. The affidavit reveals that the ship’s staff noticed the man trying to launch a lifeboat late Sunday evening. As a result, he was escorted by security to the ship’s medical center for evaluation.
While in the medical center, the man reportedly became agitated, attempted to leave, and physically attacked a guard and a nurse, according to the affidavit. He then allegedly ran into another room, grabbed a pair of scissors, and stabbed a woman who was having a medical examination, as well as two guards who tried to stop him. He was eventually overpowered and held in the ship’s jail. None of the injuries from the incident were considered life-threatening.
The ship arrived in Juneau on Tuesday, where the man was taken into custody by the FBI, as per the U.S. attorney’s office.