Fortunately, Sefilian, has previous convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol, and who sources say had been suspected of "having some anger management issues," had recently begun using e-cigarettes, and while there is nothing in the literature to suggest that behavioral experts condone the hurling of pretzels and peanuts at people or animals, when questioned specifically, an FBI spokesman acknowledged that "had the suspect chosen a chainsaw or anvil as his hurling material," the likelihood of injury to the flight attendant, as well as other passengers "could well been of a more serious nature," adding that peanuts, pretzels, and other crunchy snacks that tend to be "light in weight" are classified by the agency as having a "relatively low" probability of serious injury when "direct bodily impact" occurs as a result of "hurling, tossing, or other manually initiated conversion to a projectile object."
Some e-cigarette advocates hailed the incident at further evidence that the
devices, which produce water vapor which is then inhaled, have "an even greater potential for
harm reduction" than studies have indicated.
