Cruise worker admits raping woman and trying to throw her overboard

An Indonesian cruise worker confessed to raping a passenger and trying to throw her overboard from her stateroom balcony, US authorities said.

Ketut Pujayasa, 28, told them the Valentine's Day assault was carried out in revenge for an alleged insult.

The victim told FBI agents her attacker appeared with no warning inside her stateroom in the middle of the night and raped, punched and choked her.

He then tried to throw her from the balcony into the ocean in international waters off the coast of Roatan, Honduras.

The vicious attack happened on a cruise ship that departed from Port Everglades, Florida, according to court records.

Pujayasa was detained on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam and was arrested by the FBI when the ship arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The 31-year-old woman, who is from the US, but was identified only by her initials in court records, said she lost consciousness at least once during the assault and firmly believed her attacker was trying to kill her. Pujayasa, an Indonesian citizen who worked as a room service attendant, said he was punishing the woman, the FBI agents said.

Pujayasa, who worked for Holland America Line, said he delivered breakfast to the woman in her stateroom on Thursday.