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FARGO, N.D. - A flight attendant charged with setting fire to an airplane bathroom during a flight to Regina failed to show for a federal court appearance Friday.

Authorities said he walked away from a halfway house in the middle of the night.

Eder Rojas, 19, of Woodbury, Minn., has pleaded not guilty to knowingly and wilfully setting fire to an aircraft. The May 7 Compass Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Fargo.

Defence lawyer Steven Light told U.S. District Judge Rodney Webb on Friday that Rojas has been "incredibly unreceptive" and has refused to speak to Light in recent days.

"I have no idea where he is," Light said.

A parole official told Webb that Rojas was last seen at Centre Inc., a Fargo halfway house, about 3:30 a.m. Friday. Rojas did not have permission to leave, authorities said.

Webb ordered federal marshals to find Rojas and arrest him. The judge later postponed the trial, which was scheduled to begin Monday.

Light said he expected Rojas to ask for a new lawyer during Friday's pretrial hearing.

"His father has notified me that I was fired," Light said.

Prosecutors said during an arraignment hearing in June that Rojas, a Mexican citizen, should be jailed because he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. In arguing for detention, the government said Rojas was on a plane whose lavatory caught fire about five weeks earlier. No charges have been filed in that case.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Klein originally released Rojas to the custody of his father, Juan Rojas, of Chicago, and set several conditions. The judge had Rojas moved to the halfway house on July 1 after he violated those terms by allegedly contacting a co-worker.

Rojas faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He might be ordered to pay restitution for damage to the plane.

Authorities said Rojas set fire to paper towels in the plane's bathroom because he was upset about having to work the route from Minneapolis to Regina. No injuries were reported among the 72 passengers and four crew members.

After issuing the bench warrant for Rojas' arrest, Webb continued Friday's conference by discussing proposed jury instructions and other details for the trial.

The judge closed the hearing by telling Light that Juan Rojas "doesn't decide whether you can be relieved of your duties."