Man accused of sexual assault on Delta flight to Detroit says he was asleep, feds say

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Last fall, a 19-year-old woman reported a sexual assault while on an international flight from the Netherlands to Detroit when she said the man in the seat next to her grabbed her knee and touched her.

The woman reported the sexual assault while on the international flight home to Detroit. She said she first encountered the man, identified by federal authorities as Dektash Sefa, while they were boarding when he tried to speak with her. She did not respond and the plane took off. 

The woman was sitting in the middle seat with Sefa on her left side. About two hours into the eight-hour flight, she said she was falling asleep but woke up to a hand on her knee. She said it was Sefa and he started to massage the area.

She shifted to try to get away from him but said Sefa also shifted to keep physical contact with her. That's when she said he took it even further.

The woman said Sefa moved his hand up her leg while massaging the area and touched her inner thigh and groin, while adjust his arm and pressing his elbow into her breast.

At that point, she stood up and ran to the rear bathroom and reported the assault to two flight attendants. 

The attendants said the woman was crying and shaking and was so frightened, she could barely explain what happened. 

They moved the woman to a different part of the plane and made notifications to authorities. 

When the plane landed, Sefa was escorted and interviewed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport McNamara Terminal. He waived his Miranda rights and denied touching the woman. Instead, he said he was asleep, claimed he has nightmares, and said that his hands move a lot when he sleeps. He also said he sometimes sleepwalks.

The FBI didn't buy that and said, based on their training, said Sefa knowingly was engaging in unwanted sexual contact.