Cruise ship worker accused of stabbing 3 people in B.C. waters

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 08, 2024 11:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

A cruise ship worker from South Africa was arrested Tuesday in Alaska's capital city of Juneau, accused of attacking a woman and two security guards with scissors on board the vessel in B.C. waters, according to authorities.

The U.S. attorney's office says the man is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. Online court records do not show an attorney for the 35-year-old man.

According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Matthew Judy, the man was recently hired by a cruise line and joined the ship, the Norwegian Encore, in Seattle, Wash., on Sunday. The ship set off that day for a weeklong trip with scheduled stops in Alaska ports, including the capital city of Juneau, and British Columbia.

The alleged stabbing happened west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as the ship was sailing to Alaska. According to the affidavit, during the "late evening" Sunday, ship personnel saw the man trying to deploy a lifeboat, and he was taken by security to a medical centre for an evaluation.

While there, he "became irrational and attempted to leave," and "physically attacked" a guard and a nurse, the affidavit states.

He ran into another room, where he grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed a woman who was being examined, as well as two guards who tried to intervene before being subdued and held in a "shipboard jail," the affidavit says. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

The ship arrived in Juneau on Tuesday, when he was arrested by the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office says.