Librarian appears in court accused of air rage incident

A 32-year-old librarian has appeared in court in Clare charged in connection with an air rage incident this morning which forced a plane to divert to Shannon Airport.

Harald Albrecht is facing a total of three charges and has been remanded on bail to appear before Ennis District Court again on Monday next.

Giving evidence, gardaí Noel O Rourke of Shannon Garda Station told the court of the arrest of Harald Albrecht at Shannon Airport at 7.10am this morning.

The accused, with an address in Vienna, was detained after Aer Austrian Flight from Washington to Vienna was forced to land at the Mid West Airport

Albrecht who the court heard was a professional librarian - who was studying the Holocaust in the US - was brought to Shannon Garda Station and when charged and cautioned at 1.10pm. The accused made no reply.

The man is facing a total of three charges, namely that he did engage in a threatening, abusive or insulting nature on board the flight, that he failed to cease such behaviour when requested by a member of cabin crew, and was intoxicated to such an extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that he might endanger himself or others on the plane.

Gardaí told that court that Albrecht may pose a flight risk, but Judge Aneas McCarthy remanded him on bail and ordered that he reside at a Shannon hotel until his next court appearance on Monday, surrender his passport and sign on twice daily.