Jonathan Cahn Says Gospel Conversation Triggered Terrifying Midair Attack: ‘The Devil Is Real’

A routine flight home turned into a terrifying spiritual showdown for bestselling author and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, who has revealed that he was the previously unidentified passenger allegedly attacked aboard an American Airlines flight.

Cahn claims the violent incident erupted after he shared the gospel with the man sitting beside him and encouraged him to put his faith in Jesus Christ. What followed was chaos at 30,000 feet-an alleged assault, racial slurs, an emergency landing and a passenger restrained with duct tape and zip ties.

"I was the unidentified passenger," Cahn announced in a video posted on September 7. "I was actually attacked 30,000 feet in the sky. I was attacked on that plane."

The drama unfolded aboard American Airlines Flight 618, which was traveling from Dallas to Newark, New Jersey, on September 3. The aircraft was forced to divert to Baltimore after Cahn's seatmate, identified as 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen, allegedly became violent and disruptive.

Witness Juan Mejia, a retired law-enforcement officer who helped subdue the passenger, said the cabin appeared to change in an instant.

"Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos," Mejia recalled. He said he turned around and saw the disruptive passenger with his hands around the neck of the man seated beside him.

That man, Cahn has now confirmed, was him.

According to witnesses, Lundeen allegedly shouted racial slurs, used vulgar language and made offensive comments toward passengers and airline employees. Mejia also claimed Lundeen bit him during the struggle. Several passengers eventually helped restrain the man until the aircraft could land safely.

Lundeen was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault. He was subsequently fired from his position at a real estate agency, while the FBI reportedly continues to investigate the incident. The allegations against him have not yet been adjudicated.

But Cahn believes there was far more happening inside the cabin than an encounter with an unruly traveler. The author described the confrontation as part of a spiritual battle connected to both his presentation of the gospel and the release of his latest book, The Altar of Pergamon: The Mystery of the Dark Angel and the Future of the World.

"The devil is real," Cahn declared before invoking Ephesians 6:12, which describes the Christian struggle as one fought against spiritual powers rather than merely "flesh and blood."

Cahn even noted the extraordinary setting of the confrontation, saying he had found himself battling spiritual forces "in a form of the heavenlies, 30,000 feet up in the sky."

The author had been returning home after promoting The Altar of Pergamon, released on September 1. The book explores what Cahn describes as an ancient object associated with "the throne of Satan" and its possible relationship to events unfolding in the modern world.

Cahn's account adds a sensational new dimension to an incident that had already attracted national and international attention. Initial reports described an unnamed passenger being attacked during a violent outburst. Days later, Cahn stepped forward and claimed that the confrontation began only after he attempted to share the message of Jesus with his seatmate.

While investigators will determine the legal facts surrounding the alleged assault, Cahn appears certain about its spiritual meaning. For him, this was not simply another shocking episode of midair violence-it was an encounter with the darkness about which he has spent years warning his readers.