An Arizona real estate agent who was reportedly restrained with duct tape in a first-class cabin after an alleged hate-laced meltdown may have erupted following a tense religious conversation with the passenger seated beside him, according to new claims.

Dramatic footage from the American Airlines flight shows 67-year-old Layne Arthur Lundeen secured to his seat by other travelers after he allegedly launched into a racist and homophobic rant while the plane was traveling from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday night.

The disruption forced the aircraft to divert to Baltimore, where Maryland Transportation Authority Police boarded the plane, removed Lundeen and placed him under arrest. The remaining passengers later continued on to Newark.

Now, the question of what triggered the Tucson-based realtor’s alleged midair outburst has taken an unexpected and unusual turn.

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a polarizing author known for drawing connections between biblical prophecy and modern events, has said Lundeen became enraged during a discussion about religion and Cahn’s latest book, allegedly grabbing him by the throat, striking him and damaging his laptop.

Cahn, the leader of the Beth Israel Worship Center, a Messianic Jewish congregation in Wayne, New Jersey, told the Daily Mail that he and Lundeen had been having a ‘friendly’ chat about their religious views for about two hours before things took a ‘demonic’ turn. 

In a ‘split second,’ Cahn claims, Lundeen, who he believes had just a couple of drinks, became enraged and started cursing at him and God.

‘He told me he was a realtor and onto his third marriage,’ Cahn said. 

‘He said he was at one point a Christian, but he rejected Jesus after he got divorced and he felt judged by Christians over the divorce.

‘I was trying to help him, I was trying to encourage him and say Jesus had trouble with religious hypocrites.’

But it was when married Cahn, 66, started talking about his own experiences of God that Lundeen allegedly saw red and ‘turned.’

‘His face changed, his voice changed, and he said… almost in a whisper, he was like, “I have something to tell you,” and he said, “Bulls***,”‘ Cahn alleged. 

‘He’s getting louder, and he starts cursing God, cursing Jesus, cursing me.

‘And then he said, “Go f*** yourself.”

‘This was from nothing. It wasn’t like there was any real argument.’

‘It was a split second. The change was like unbelievable. It was two hours of friendly, and then in one second it just changed to the most different voice, different faith, different guy,’ Chan added. 

‘It was as if something had taken him over.’ 

Cahn claimed he tried to withdraw from Lundeen by doing some work on his laptop, but his seatmate allegedly then began knocking his screen and attempting to get him to talk again.

He said a flight attendant allegedly then came over to tell him to quiet down.

As the saga escalated, Lundeen allegedly called a black flight attendant the N-word and made homophobic comments, according to TMZ. 

Cahn, for his part, told the Daily Mail he didn’t ‘specifically’ hear what Lundeen said – including whether or not he uttered the racial slur or made homophobic comments.

But he claims he did hear him say something ‘vulgar’ about the genitals of a male flight attendant.

Cahn said Lundeen tried to be ‘friendly’ to him again before allegedly putting ‘both hands around my neck’ and ‘pushing going back and forth.’

‘He’s doing like he’s playing, but it was threatening and it was a just bizarre thing,’ Cahn said. 

He claims a flight attendant came over a second time and asked Lundeen to stop bothering passengers.

In a bid to defuse the situation, Cahn said he showed Lundeen the cover of his new book, the Altar of Pergamon, on his laptop.

‘When he saw the book cover, that’s when he started getting violent,’ Cahn alleged. 

‘I could only describe it what happened as demonic. It was like he was influenced by the dark side.’

He claims Lundeen hit his chest and abdomen ‘like he’s trying to start a fight,’ before allegedly threatening: ‘I’m gonna punch your f***** Jewish face in.’

‘I knew I was in danger. I knew it was it was going towards violence. I was trying to keep calm.

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‘There were glasses there. I was thinking, in a second, you can just smash it and take it and cut me with it. I was trying to get the glasses out.’

He claims he had a ‘feeling’ Lundeen wanted to destroy his laptop so he got up from his seat taking his computer and cellphone with him.

But he said when he stood up, Lundeen allegedly lunged for his laptop and tried to wrestle it off him – leaving the whole plane in ‘shock.’

He alleged that during the struggle, Lundeen broke Cahn’s laptop and hurt Cahn’s already injured arm.

Cahn recalls two male passengers seated two rows in front of him then got up to help.

‘Everybody in the area was disturbed by it,’ he claimed. 

‘The air stewards were trying, but they really didn’t know what to do until those guys intervened when it became totally violent.’

Juan Mejia, a retired police officer who was on the flight, and Richard Olenick, a store manager, reportedly restrained Lundeen with duct tape around his wrists, head and body to tie him to the seat.

Olenick appeared to back Cahn’s account, telling Fox10 Phoenix that Lundeen had allegedly ‘ended up striking the passenger that was next to him’ and then ‘put his hand on the passenger’s throat.’  

At one point, Lundeen allegedly tried to get out of his restraints but the male passengers held him down.

Cahn said he switched seats before the plane made its emergency landing at Baltimore. When FBI agents boarded the plane, he said he gave them his contact details but has yet to hear from them. 

Lundeen was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, and was released on recognizance bond, according to online court records viewed by the Daily Mail.

After footage of the wild incident went viral, Lundeen was promptly fired from Long Realty in Tucson, where he was reportedly vice president.

The real estate company confirmed to the Daily Mail that Lundeen is no longer employed with them.

‘Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight,’ CEO Kevin Kaplan said.

‘Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity.

‘The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.’

Cahn, who is no stranger to being in the headlines for his often controversial views, said he does not plan to take legal action against Lundeen but is ‘hoping the guy gets better.’

‘I don’t think he knew what he was doing. He was just out of control,’ Cahn, who once featured on a podcast of the late conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, said. 

‘I just heard he got fired because of this, so I am hoping the best for him.’ 

Cahn, for his part, has likened the 9/11 attacks to biblical warnings that God would punish a disobedient Israel, according to a 2019 New York Times report.

The outlet also reported that Cahn said abortion, gay rights and the apparent public perception of religion indicated America had lost its way.

Meanwhile, Maryland Transportation Authority Police would not respond to questions about Cahn’s account of what happened on board the flight. 

Police did confirm, however, that an incident involving a ‘disorderly and unruly passenger’ had taken place.  

‘The responding MDTA officers observed a male passenger being restrained to his seat by duct tape and his hands secured by zip ties,’ Sergeant Clinton Kelly told the Daily Mail. 

‘The passenger 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen of Arizona was arrested by police and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at BWI Airport.

‘The incident that took place in the air is being investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.

‘Lundeen was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm that was noticed by officers while being taken into custody.’

American Airlines confirmed, too, that the flight was diverted due to a ‘disruptive customer.’

‘The ​safety and ​security of our customers ​and ​team members is our ​top ​priority, ​and ​we do ​not tolerate violence,’ a spokesperson said.

‘We ​thank ​our team members ​for ​their ​professionalism and ​our customers for ​their ​understanding.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Lundeen and his wife for comment.

Four children from upstate New York who authorities say were poisoned and killed by their mother and grandmother had kratom and a drowsiness-inducing allergy medication in their systems, according to a newly revealed report.

The grim findings from the June murder-suicide in Mechanicsville were detailed in a toxicology report, sources told NewsChannel 13.

Harper Harmon, 13, and his younger siblings — Hudson, 11; Gracelynn, 10; and Gavin, 10 — had all been given kratom and diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, before their deaths, the report found.

Kratom, sometimes referred to as “gas station heroin,” is a psychoactive herbal extract that can cause opioid-like effects, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Authorities have said the four children were allegedly killed by their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and their grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64, before the two women took their own lives.

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Harper, Hudson and Gracelynn all died after they were poisoned, while Gavin was knifed while trying to defend himself, authorities said. 

Myers had been locked in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband Brady Harmon, who lives in Utah and hadn’t seen his children in person since November 2019. 

The children were murdered shortly before they were expexted to spend the summer with their father in the Beehive State.

In a sick letter discovered by authorities after the slayings, Myers alleged that Harom had abused her and her children, and that the killings were the only way to save them from further abuse. 

Harmon denied the claims of abuse, and said there’s “a special place in hell” for his ex-wife. 

“My kids suffered,” Harmon told a local station. “To poison them and also to stab them – there’s a special place in hell for people like that.”

U.S. forces sank a floating refueling vessel Monday that officials said was being used by an Ecuadorian organized crime network to support drug trafficking operations.

The vessel was intercepted in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, or JTFWH, after it was identified as a platform used for “at-sea drug trafficking operations,” according to U.S. Southern Command.

“JTF-WHEM continues to conduct precise and professional operations to dismantle the logistical networks fueling narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

SOUTHCOM said the refueling vessel was tied to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian narco-terrorist organization. Those on board were taken off the vessel and are expected to be transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.

Once the boat was cleared, U.S. forces sank it.

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JTFWH was activated by SOUTHCOM in August to counter threats, strengthen regional security, and respond to crises in the Western Hemisphere.

The Trump administration has prioritized targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels bound for the United States.

U.S. forces have launched dozens of strikes targeting such boats under the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Last week, the cartel was designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. Its members have attacked and threatened public officials and their families, security personnel, judges, prosecutors, and journalists in Ecuador, the agency said.

“Their ultimate goal is to control drug trafficking routes through Ecuador by terrorizing and inflicting brutal violence on the Ecuadorian people,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Thomas Pigott.

In July, U.S. and Ecuadorian authorities cooperated to extradite Los Choneros leader Fito Macias, who was the first Ecuadorian citizen extradited from Ecuador to face justice in the U.S.

Lioness actress Jill Wagner is sharing new insight into life on set with series creator Taylor Sheridan, including one demanding scene that pushed her well outside her comfort zone.

The Paramount+ thriller, led by Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana, is now in its third season. Wagner, who portrays Bobby, said the latest chapter has not been especially “physically draining” for her, but described the new episodes as “a bit more cerebral.”

In an interview with People alongside costar Laysla De Oliveira, who plays Cruz, the 47-year-old revealed that Sheridan once asked her to rework a scene using her non-dominant hand — with almost no warning.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Sheridan’s representatives for comment.

“There was one day that Laysla and I were trying to get this entrance into the house,” Wagner recalled. “Cruz and Bobby have to come in and clear the room, and we were having difficulties with some of the angles.”

‘Ten minutes before we roll, he comes in and says, “No, I think you should switch arms. Transition your weapon to your left arm.”’ Wagner recalls. ‘And I was just like, “Hmm … OK. Help me.”’

The actress told the publication that although the task was tough, it turned out to be a success.

‘Ultimately, we worked it out, and it’s probably going to be one of my favorite moments,’ Wagner continued.

De Oliveira also chimed in about working with Sheridan and what it takes.

Backing up Wagner, she agreed that cast members can often leave feeling rather accomplished after getting through a day on set with Sheridan.

‘That’s the coolest thing about working with Taylor. He can change things on the spot,’ De Oliveira added. ‘You have to have your head on a swivel and be able to do that.

‘Once you go through that experience, you really leave the set thinking, “Wow, I can do anything.”’

De Oliveira went on that Sheridan doesn’t amend the script last-minute, but flexibility is required with his direction.

She suggested that getting through such an exercise can help on future jobs too.

‘If you can pick that up, then you go onto another set and think, “Well, this one time I did everything with my left hand even though I’m right-handed.” So it’s a great opportunity for us,’ De Oliveira said.

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Wagner added: ‘He forces you to run into the fire. He really does.’

It comes three years after reports Sheridan, who is also behind the popular show Yellowstone, developed a ‘God complex’ and clashed with Oscar winner Kevin Costner over the direction of his character.

A source with detailed knowledge about the show told DailyMail.com in 2023: ‘Certain people in charge of the production developed a God complex.’

The insider also alleged that Costner was left frustrated at how his concerns over the direction the series was taking were dismissed by Sheridan – saying that the actor, who also serves as an executive producer on Yellowstone – was told to ‘stick to acting’ when he raised questions about the future of the show.

‘Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for Yellowstone and the cast is like family to him,’ the source said of Costner, who recently nabbed a Golden Globe Award for best actor for his portrayal of John Dutton.

‘He just felt like Yellowstone is headed in a direction that was not in line with their initial vision and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.’

Last month it was revealed Sheridan is being sued by Lauren J Salkin, a television writer who has claimed he stole her idea, turning it into his hit show Yellowstone. 

Salkin filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Sheridan, 56, in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

In the complaint, Sheridan, his management company Elevate Entertainment, Paramount and NBCUniversal are all named defendants, alongside several others.

Salkin alleges that she presented a pilot, concept, storylines, and pitch deck for a show called Sovereign Nation to Sheridan’s representatives at Elevate Entertainment in late 2016 and early 2017.

Elsewhere in the complaint, obtained and reviewed by the Daily Mail, she describes the show as a ‘dramatic television series centered on tribal governance, casino-driven economic power, and a modern war over land and development.’

Salkin’s lead attorney, Paul B Lackey, said in a statement to the Daily Mail: ‘This is a classic David versus Goliath situation. She spent years putting together the specific and multi-layered framework for a story that has become the biggest streaming success of all time. She has watched the vast commercial success of this story that was stolen from her and decided that enough was enough. We will do everything in our power to get her justice.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Sheridan, Elevate Entertainment, NBCUniversal, and Paramount for comment.

Lioness season three dropped on Paramount+ in August, and the finale hits the streaming platform on September 20. 

The Yankees are getting their captain back at a critical moment.

Aaron Judge, sidelined for more than three months by a right rib stress fracture, is set to return to the Yankees’ lineup Tuesday night in The Bronx against the Rockies, the team announced Monday night. His comeback arrives after a race against the regular-season calendar to get healthy in time for the stretch run.

The back-to-back AL MVP returns to a Yankees team still chasing the Rays, sitting four games out in the division with 19 games remaining. New York also holds just a 2 1/2-game cushion over the Red Sox for the top American League wild-card spot, though the club managed to stay afloat without Judge, going 45-39 during his absence while navigating a wave of additional injuries.

“Best player in the world,” manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend. “I think it would give us a lot of balance, too, to give us that right-handed hitter. On the days we’re facing a righty, where we got all our lefties, to have a right-handed hitter in that two-three hole, I think goes a long way. Not only potentially having his production back in there, but hopefully putting the other guys in a better spot, too.”

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Judge pushed successfully to avoid a rehab assignment before being activated, though the Yankees could still bring him along carefully over the next few days as he completes the final stages of his buildup.

That could mean a day off after his first game, playing five to seven innings in the field and/or DH days involved. He was expected to face live pitching on Monday at Yankee Stadium for the first time in his ramp-up, after going with the Yankees on their West Coast trip and hitting batting practice on the field and high-velocity pitching machines indoors.

Military prosecutors are pressing forward with the case against the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, even though they will not be able to use a crucial confession, as they seek to keep the long-delayed trial on track for 2028.

The federal government has opted not to challenge a recent decision by a military judge excluding statements Khalid Sheikh Mohammed made in 2007. 

As a result, Mohammed’s statements to the FBI will be barred from evidence when the case finally goes before a court.

“An appeal could jeopardize the hard-earned June 5, 2028, trial date,” the prosecution team’s liaison to victims wrote in a Friday letter, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The New York Post. The decision came one week before the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Appeals can take years to resolve, an outcome military prosecutors want to avoid given the series of delays that have prolonged the wait for victims’ families to receive justice. Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators — Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, and Ammar al-Baluchi — are scheduled to go on trial in June 2028.

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Prosecutors initially planned to use a confession obtained from Mohammed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has been held for nearly two decades.

Lt. Col. Michael Schrama set the trial date last month before suppressing the confession. He cited “severe coercion” and noted that Mohammed did not have an opportunity to consult with an attorney.

Mohammed and two of his co-defendants had agreed to a plea deal with the Biden administration in 2024 that would have spared them the death penalty.

The deal was subsequently revoked following public outcry, resulting in further lengthy litigation.

Meanwhile, 9/11 families have asked the Trump administration to declassify documents on Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the attacks.