United Flight Returns to Las Vegas After Attendant Reports Passenger's Hijacking Text; Man, 25, Arrested

A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark turned back and landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport at 11:05 p.m. Saturday after a flight attendant reported seeing a passenger text that he would hijack the plane, and police arrested a 25-year-old man. United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, had taken off Saturday night bound for Newark Liberty International Airport. The flight attendant allegedly saw Dante Milne's text and told the pilots, who informed air traffic control. One pilot said the crew locked down the aircraft and that the passenger was compliant and unaware, so no restraint was used. Law enforcement waited at the gate at the pilots' request. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said officers responded on October 24, 2026, and arrested Milne on charges of making threats or providing false information related to an act of terrorism. One report said the 150 passengers were stranded overnight.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. The right-leaning Daily Wire leads with the arrest and labels the man a suspected terrorist in its headline. It relies on the pilot's radio account and a police statement given to the outlet, and names Milne and the charges. The Times of India, the alternative outlet, leads instead with the diversion back to Las Vegas and the roughly 150 passengers stranded overnight. Only its headline was available, and it does not name the passenger or cite officials. Both accounts agree on the flight, the hijacking text, the turnaround and the passenger count. They differ in emphasis: the Daily Wire focuses on the alleged threat and arrest, while the Times of India focuses on the disruption to passengers.