A Malaysia Airlines passenger was arrested late yesterday after allegedly threatening passengers and crew on a flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur.
The man’s actions forced the flight to turn around over the north west of NSW after he became aggressive on the flight.
Flight MH122 left Sydney Airport at about 1pm with nearly 200 passengers and 12 crew onboard and landed back on the runway at 3:47pm. The man, a Canberra resident aged 45, was arrested after the plane landed and passengers disembarked at about 6:30pm.
Video uploaded to Twitter by passengers shows the man repeatedly asking crew and passengers whether they are a “slave of Allah.”
“My name is Mohammad, slave of Allah,” he tells those on the plane.
#Sydney Airport is suffering at the hands of this lunatic as he has taken #MH122 hostage. Praying for everyone's safety and well being.
Where is Airport security?! Its been well over an hour since the plane has landed back!!! pic.twitter.com/rSWExD9EXm
— Jawad Nazir ✈ (@jawadmnazir) August 14, 2023
Another video shows worried passengers watching on as he prays on a prayer mat in the middle of the aisle.
#Sydney Airport is suffering at the hands of this lunatic #MH122 Praying for everyone's safety and well being.
Where is Airport security?! Its been well over an hour since the plane has landed back!!! pic.twitter.com/671o2pB4SS
— Crude Macro 🛢️ (@MacroCrude) August 14, 2023
Speaking to Today, fellow passenger Velutha Parambath said the man began praying very loudly after takeoff.
Parambath said that the disruptive passenger pointed to a bag that he had with him and claimed he had “a lot of power” and that he was “ready to do whatever it takes for Allah.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that after landing back at Sydney Airport, the Airbus A330 parked at the taxiway of the southern end of the main north-south runway and waited for police to arrest him.
The Australian Federal Police have charged the man with one count of false statement about threat to damage an aircraft and one count of a passenger not complying with cabin crew’s safety instruction. He is expected to appear in Sydney court today and his offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of over $15,000.
In regards to the incident, a Malaysia Airlines spokesperson said: “In the interest of safety, the commander of the flight made a decision to return to Sydney.”
“The safety and comfort of our crew and passengers are of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines.
“The aircraft will be thoroughly inspected by the police.
“Passengers will be transferred to the next available flights after obtaining clearance from the authorities.”
The incident caused disruption to Sydney Airport, with 32 domestic flights cancelled and many others delayed as the airport had to operate with one runway.
Featured Image: Twitter/@jawadmnazir
