On Monday night at Sydney International Airport, a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur was evacuated on the ground after an alleged bomb threat was made by a passenger aboard the Airbus A330 aircraft.
After the plane made an emergency landing at Sydney Airport, the Australian Federal Police detained the 45-year-old suspect. Although the police have not yet revealed the allegations against the man, he has been detained and will likely be indicted later this evening.
Eyewitnesses aboard the plane said that the suspect began threatening other passengers and the cabin staff not long after Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 took off from Sydney on Monday at around 1:40 p.m.
Around an hour after takeoff, according to data from Flight Radar 24, the jet made a U-turn over New South Wales before returning directly to Sydney, where it was given priority landing clearance and surrounded by fire trucks and other emergency vehicles on the taxiway.
#MH122 This guy should have been stopped at the gate before boarding, his actions were unsettling from start. #Sydney #SydneyAirport pic.twitter.com/6y9bUy3ksD
— Muhammad Zubair (@chzaib) August 14, 2023
Other passengers had to endure a long wait as law enforcement waited to board the plane when it stopped on the tarmac.
As they waited for authorities to arrest the person, Muhammed Zubair, a passenger on the plane, gave a minute-by-minute account of what was happening aboard the flight via his X account.
“Captain just announced that before we get busses or goto terminal, Sydney Airport authorities are doing security checks, and can’t give us any time,” Muhammed wrote.
Soon after, according to Muhammad, passengers were being escorted to the back of the plane.
#MH122 Drop scene
Every one off the plane.
Police told to leave all the belongings on plane #Sydney #SydneyAirport pic.twitter.com/akb3ce5ceO— Muhammad Zubair (@chzaib) August 14, 2023
“This lunatic (the suspect) now says it was a joke, he was testing Muslims. This idiot, he brings shame to other fellow Muslims,” Muhammed wrote in a follow-up post.
Police eventually boarded the aircraft, handcuffed and detained the suspect, and then ‘evacuated’ the passengers via the airstairs to the tarmac. They were then sent to a safe holding room where each of them must undergo an interview before being allowed to go.
A spokesperson for the AFP said there was no threat to the community. In a statement, the police force said: “The AFP will not divulge operational matters, however, an emergency response plan was enacted, and an evacuation was initiated once it was deemed safe for passengers and crew.”
“The man is expected to be charged later tonight.”
Due to the event, Sydney Airport said that it had to cancel 30 domestic flights and other services were experiencing delays of up to 90 minutes.
