Passenger holds aircraft 'hostage' as plane forced to turn round mid-flight
Passenger holds aircraft 'hostage' as plane forced to turn round mid-flight
A man took a plane 'hostage' it's been claimed, after an incident broke out on a flight.
Footage has emerged from a Malaysian Airlines flight, which had to be diverted after a man became threatening towards fellow passengers.
In the clip, the unnamed man can be heard berating a member of cabin crew and other travellers.
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Standing in the aisle while holding a backpack agains this chest, the man points to several passengers sitting around him.
He says: "My name is Mohammed, slave of Allah."
The man then orders a crew member and asks him the same question.
“Are you a slave of Allah? Are you?" he asks. "Say it! Say it! Are you a slave of Allah?"
Eventually, the assistant says: "Yes, I am."
As a result of the chaotic scenes, flight MH122, which was bound for Kuala Lumpur, had to return to Sydney, Australia.
The aircraft left Sydney Airport at 1.06pm but was forced to turn back while travelling over the north-west of NSW. It landed at the airport at 3.47pm.
Malaysia Airlines said: “In the interests of safety, the commander of the flight made the decision to return to Sydney.
“The flight, carrying 194 passengers and five crew onboard, landed safely at 3.47pm hours.
“The safety and comfort of our crew and passengers are of upmost importance to Malaysia Airlines.”
In a statement at the time of the stand-off, a spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police said it was working to get the situation under control.
“We’re responding to an emergency incident at Sydney International Airport, and an update will be provided [later]," the statement read.
After landing, passengers were moved to a separate end of the plane while members of cabin crew team tried to deal with the man.
After several hours of sitting on the tarmac, passengers were eventually allowed to disembark the diverted flight.
And in footage posted online, the 45-year-old man involved in the incident was seen being removed form the plane.
He was arrested by police and is expected to be charged, the Australian Federal Police said.
A spokesperson for the force said: "A passenger on an international flight from Sydney to Malaysia has been arrested by the AFP.
"The man, 45, was arrested by the AFP without incident.
"Passengers have now been evacuated from the aircraft.
"There is no impending threat to the community.”
Dominic Smithers