A South African man has been arrested and charged for allegedly stabbing multiple people with a metal scissors aboard a cruise ship in Alaskan waters.
In a media statement this week, the US Attorney's Office in the District of Alaska confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had arrested South African national, Ntando Sogoni, after he disembarked a cruise ship in Alaska’s capital, Juneau.
According to court documents, on May 6, 35-year-old Sogoni was working on the cruise ship when other ship employees observed him attempting to deploy a lifeboat. Sogoni was contacted by ship security and escorted to the ship’s medical centre for an assessment.
The US Attorney's Office said upon arrival, Sogoni allegedly physically attacked a security guard and a male nurse inside an examination room and proceeded to enter another examination room where a US woman was being examined.
“He grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed the woman multiple times in the arm, hand and face. He also stabbed two security guards who intervened—one in the head and one in the back and shoulders,” said US Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge, Rebecca Day, of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
“Sogoni was detained and held in the ship’s jail prior to his arrest.”
Day said Sogoni is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction.
“If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 (around R4.6 million) fine for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” Day said.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and FBI Juneau Resident Agency, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service are investigating the case.
According to the NY Daily News, Sogoni was recently hired by Norwegian Cruise Lines. He boarded the Encore cruise ship in Seattle and the ship set sail for a week-long trip with stops in Alaska ports and British Columbia.
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