Alaskan Airlines
Alaska Airlines flight eventually continued its journey to Seattle after a few hours' delay Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Flight to Seattle forced to divert to Anchorage after passenger took off all his clothes.
  • Alaska Airlines confirmed man was naked and and "refusing to follow crew instruction".

A flight to Seattle had to be diverted to Anchorage after a passenger on board locked himself in the bathroom, removed all his clothes and "refused to follow crew instructions".

The Alaska Airlines flight was making its way to Seattle on the morning of 7 February when the disturbance occurred.

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Details on the incident are unclear, but one passenger described how it became clear that something was wrong as flight crew went back and forth through the aisles wearing rubber gloves.

The plane then returned to Anchorage, where the FBI and police were waiting at the airport. It is unclear whether the man was arrested.

Airport police Sgt. Darcy Perry told Anchorage police station KTVA: "There was a subject on the aircraft that had barricaded or locked himself in the bathroom, the lavatory.

"Flight attendants did find that the subject was naked."

Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson confirmed the incident to the Associated Press: "Alaska Airlines flight 146 from Anchorage to Seattle returned to Anchorage due to a passenger not following flight attendant's instructions.

"While no emergency was declared, the decision was made to return to Anchorage."