A United Airlines flight bound for Newark was forced back to Las Vegas after a passenger texted that he was going to hijack the aircraft—and the mainstream press reported it and moved on without asking a single question about who this person is or how he got on the plane.
This matters because 150 passengers were trapped in a metal tube at 30,000 feet with a man threatening mass murder, and the institutions responsible for security and the press supposed to hold them accountable are both treating it as a routine inconvenience.
Here's what happened. On Saturday, Oct. 24, United Flight 1681 had just departed Harry Reid International Airport when a flight attendant spotted a passenger texting about taking control of the plane. The pilot told air traffic controllers: "The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft. They called me. We went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas," according to the New York Post. When the controller asked whether the passenger was restrained, the pilot said the man showed "no restraint" because "he's unaware"—meaning he had no idea the crew was onto him.
The criminal complaint, cited by SFGATE, says the 25-year-old wrote he was "gonna hijack this" plane and "crash ur row only." He was arrested on charges of making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism, which carries one to 20 years in prison.
The New York Post identified the suspect as 25-year-old Dante Milne. SFGATE and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, both running Associated Press copy, declined to name him. None of the three outlets reported his immigration status, nationality, or background. None asked the obvious question: who is this person, and what is he doing in this country?
The FAA confirmed it will investigate and noted there have been over 1,400 unruly passenger incidents so far in 2026. That statistic was buried at the bottom of the SFGATE report and omitted entirely by the other two outlets. The agency calls it a "passenger disturbance." A hijack threat is not a disturbance. It is an act of terrorism.
United Airlines issued the standard corporate statement—"potential security concern"—and rebooked passengers on a flight the next morning. The system worked, we are told. Everyone was safe. Move along.
But the system didn't work. A man who wanted to hijack a commercial airliner made it through security, boarded a plane, and sat among 150 Americans with nothing stopping him but his own incompetence. The press won't ask whether Dante Milne is a U.S. citizen or a foreign national. They won't ask what brought him to Las Vegas or what motivated the threat. They won't ask because they are terrified the answers might confirm what ordinary Americans already suspect: that the people running immigration and security have no idea who is in this country, and no intention of finding out.
An attorney listed for Milne did not return a request for comment. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. We'll be watching to see if anyone in the press corps bothers to show up.
