An Arizona real estate agent had to be duct-taped to his seat on an American Airlines flight after allegedly launching a homophobic and racist tirade, forcing the plane to divert. Layne Arthur Lundeen, 67, was travelling from Dallas to Newark on Thursday when the incident occurred; the flight made an emergency landing in Baltimore, where he was removed and arrested. The case has drawn wider attention because his seatmate has offered an account of what apparently triggered the outburst, and Lundeen has since lost his job.

The seatmate, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a controversial author known for linking biblical prophecy to current events, claims the two had been chatting amicably about religion for roughly two hours before Lundeen suddenly turned hostile, cursing at him and God and allegedly grabbing him by the throat and breaking his laptop. Cahn said Lundeen, who he believed had had only a couple of drinks, described being a lapsed Christian on his third marriage who felt judged over a divorce. As the confrontation escalated, Lundeen allegedly directed a racial slur and homophobic remarks at flight crew, including a black flight attendant, though Cahn said he did not personally hear those comments. Lundeen has been charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault, and was fired from his job after footage of the incident went viral.