Mercer Island man convicted of sexually assaulting teen on flight while her mother slept nearby

SEATTLE, Wash. — A 72-year-old Mercer Island man was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Munir Walji sat next to the girl and her mother on a Delta Airlines flight in November 2021.

The three reportedly made some small talk as they settled in for the flight.

As the flight neared Seattle, the U.S. Department of Justice says the girl felt a hand on her leg, and it woke her up.

She moved away from him but told law enforcement that the touching became more aggressive.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Walji unbuckled the girl’s seatbelt and reached into the waistband of her pants and then underwear.

The girl reportedly said something to get him to stop and woke up her mother who asked a flight attendant to move them to a different row.

Law enforcement was notified, and Walji was arrested upon arrival in Seattle.

He is set to be sentenced on December 11.

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