According to the criminal Complaint filed in federal court in Newark, NJ, Aksal boarded a United Airlines flight from Phoenix to Newark on August 20th, whereupon he took a seat next to a stranger: a woman passenger, who was sitting in the window seat.
An Associated Press article this week notes that the city of Newark, NJ, staring into a budget abyss, sold 16 city buildings to developers and investors, including the Newark Symphony Hall and police and fire headquarters.