Man accused of trying to open airplane door during flight

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal officials say a Portland, Oregon, man tried to open an emergency exit door during a commercial airline flight last week from Salt Lake City to Portland. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that the 31-year-old man was seen pulling on the handle with his full body weight before a flight attendant demanded he let go. The affidavit says the man told police he did it so passengers would videotape him and he’d have “the opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines. The man’s public defender called the allegations “out of character” for his client. The judge ordered the man held for a mental health evaluation.