"We don't storm planes, this is not TV": Police respond to criticism of Sydney plane bomb threat
A 45-year-old man is facing charges following a prolonged standoff aboard an airplane, which culminated in an arrest at Sydney Airport.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH122, carrying 199 passengers and 12 crew members, took off from Sydney Airport at 1.40pm on Monday August 14. However, the flight had to return to the airport's runway at 3.47pm, where it remained stationary for several hours as emergency vehicles stood by.
The arrest followed an alleged disturbance caused by a passenger on board. Finally, at around 6.30pm, passengers were able to disembark from the aircraft.
The Australian Federal Police have now revealed that the man had made claims of having explosives on the plane. The authorities charged the 45-year-old individual, a resident of Canberra, with making a false statement regarding threats to damage an aircraft of division three, and with failing to comply with safety instructions from cabin crew.
Video footage captured within the plane reportedly showed the man, who was carrying a backpack, making threats towards fellow passengers and crew members.
During the flight, passengers took to social media to share videos depicting the man raising his voice and displaying aggressive behaviour towards cabin crew and fellow travellers.
One passenger named Velutha Parambath shared on social media that approximately 30 minutes after takeoff, the individual began behaving disruptively, even becoming physically confrontational with other passengers.
Parambath noted that the man's actions escalated to include preaching about his religious beliefs. He added that the man had something in his hand, and his conversations with the crew were marked by statements like "I'm not afraid of dying" and "I've got things with me," which generated fear among those on board.
In the immediate aftermath, criticism emerged from several passengers aboard MH122 regarding the duration it took for the Australian Federal Police to arrest and remove the man from the aircraft once it returned to Sydney. In response, the AFP stated that an evacuation was initiated once it was determined safe for passengers and crew, leading to the man's arrest.
The Australian Federal Police took the lead in managing the situation, with the support of the New South Wales Police. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the response, noting the volatile nature of the incident and the unpredictability of the situation.
"Given it's a volatile situation and [it's] unpredictable we didn't know the severity of the incident and you have to deal with what we learn about the passenger," she said. "We didn't know if there was a bomb."
"I praise the crew for what they did in keeping the passengers calm … to de-escalate the situation to the point that we got this matter resolved in three hours, I think three hours is pretty good.
"The protocol in Australia is to negotiate, we don't storm planes, this is not TV, it's not the movies we want to protect the lives of all passengers."
The incident caused significant disruptions to domestic travel at Sydney Airport, resulting in the cancellation of 32 flights and delays of up to 90 minutes. NSW Premier Chris Minns acknowledged the concerns about the AFP response and announced a review of the situation while highlighting that the resolution was achieved peacefully.
Image: Twitter