A 31-year-old man was arrested yesterday afternoon after attempting to hijack a domestic flight from Mexico to the United States , authorities said.

The plane, an Airbus A320, took off around 7:17 a.m. local time from the city of Leon in the central state of Guanajuato and was headed for the northwestern city of Tijuana, but had to make an emergency landing at Guadalajara International Airport after about 45 minutes of flight.

“A subject assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to enter the cockpit to divert the flight to the United States,” the Secretariat for Security and Civil Protection said in a statement. However, crew members were able to restrain the man, who was reportedly traveling with his family.

According to flight operator Volaris, "the attacker said that a close relative had been kidnapped and, upon takeoff from Leon, he was threatened with death if he went to Tijuana."

After the arrest, the flight resumed its journey to Tijuana.

(Online Union)