Man charged with trying to steal passenger jet at Orlando airport

A 22-year-old student was charged on Thursday with trying to steal a passenger jet at an Orlando airport, where he jumped a fence and boarded the aircraft but was quickly detained, officials said.The Florida Institute of Technology student had a commercial pilot’s license but was not qualified to fly the aircraft, an Airbus 321, Orlando Melbourne International Airport spokeswoman Lori Booker told reporters. He did not manage to get the plane moving. “There is no evidence to indicate a connection to terrorism,” Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie said at a news conference. The man’s motive was unknown, Gillespie said, after police searched his home and vehicle and found no weapons or explosives. He did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol. The man, identified as Nishal Sankat, had parked his car about 140m from the plane early Thursday and kept it running before jumping the airport fence, Booker said. After he reached the flight deck of the plane, two technicians and two security guards detained him before he could attempt to start the aircraft. The American Airlines plane was at a maintenance facility for the installation of broadband WiFi, a spokeswoman said.<br/>