A U.S. judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the Canadian man accused of stealing a plane in Thunder Bay, Ont. and flying it across three states.

Adam Dylan Leon, 31 is charged with transporting stolen property across state lines and illegally entering the U.S. -- and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The St. Louis, Missouri judge was expected to rule on whether Leon would be granted bail, and hear a request for a grand jury indictment from federal prosecutors.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Mummert put both of those decisions on hold until Leon has been evaluated.

The psychiatric evaluation will be conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Leon is accused of stealing a single-engine Cessna 172 from the Thunder Bay flight school, where he was a student, on Monday.

He then flew for more than seven hours over three states while being pursued by F-16 fighter jets, before eventually landing on a highway in southern Missouri. He then made his way to a convenience store where he was later picked up by police.

Leon was born in Turkey with the name Yavuz Berke, before moving to Canada, changing his name, and becoming a naturalized citizen.

For at least one year, he was a science student at the University of Toronto, said Melody Izadi. She told CTV.ca by email that she lived on the same floor as Leon in 2006 in a U of T residence building.

When Leon arrived in court on Friday, The Associated Press reports, he appeared slender and unshaven and for the most part kept his head down.

When the judge asked whether he understood what had happened in the courtroom, he said "More or less," AP reports.

The court-appointed lawyer representing Leon asked to have a private psychologist carry out the evaluation, since the federal Prisons Bureau is backed up and could take some time to complete the evaluation.

However, the judge agreed with Assistant U.S. Attorney D. John Sauer that findings from a private psychologist could be challenged at a later date.

No date or location has been set for the evaluation.

Sauer also confirmed to the judge that prosecutors will seek a grand jury indictment against Leon. The government is expected to present its case to a grand jury on Wednesday.

Initially, there were fears that the erratic flight on Monday represented a terrorist threat. The Wisconsin state capitol of Madison was even evacuated over concerns about a potential attack.

The officers who arrested Leon said he told them he wanted to commit suicide and hoped he would be shot down.

Leon's possible mental instability raises issues that will have to be considered by the court, said CTV's legal analyst Steven Skurka.

Leon ignored hand signals and flares from the F-16 pilots, used in an attempt to convince him to land, but NORAD officials have said they never seriously considered shooting down the plane.

He also came close to running out of fuel.

"So all these questions will be raised both at the bail hearing and at Mr. Leon's trial," Skurka said.