MIAMI, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A Holland America cruise ship worker confessed to raping a passenger, beating her and attempting to throw her overboard the ship near Honduras, officials said.
The victim said her alleged attacker, 28-year-old Ketut Pujayasa, of Indonesia, had been waiting for her on the balcony of her darkened cabin on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam Friday, and raped, beat, punched and strangled her before attempting to throw her overboard off the coast of Roatan, Honduras, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.
Pujayasa told police he attacked the 31-year-old woman, whose name wasn't reported, because he believed she insulted him earlier that day when he delivered breakfast to her room.
He said he knocked at her door three times and he heard her say "Wait a minute, son of a bitch!"
"Pujayasa stated that the passenger's comment of 'son of a bitch' was offensive to himself and his parents. He was angry and upset the rest of the day," FBI Special Agent David Nunez wrote in his report.
Pujayasa said he stopped his assault on the woman because of persistent knocking at her door and he escaped by jumping from balcony to balcony on the ship. He later asked his roommate to contact authorities to say he had killed a passenger.
He faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated sexual abuse, the newspaper said.
The woman's injuries were so severe she was airlifted to a hospital in South Florida once the ship was docked in Honduras.
"We continue to work closely with authorities to understand how this incident occurred and what additional actions we can take to help ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," a statement from Holland America said.
