http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-Airlines-pilot-distress-call-bomb-scare.html
Pictured: Sri Lankan trainee chef who tried to storm the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines plane and threatened to 'blow it up' before passengers pinned him to the ground and waited 90 MINUTES for cops to board
Malaysian Airlines flight MH128 departed Melbourne flying to Kuala Lumpur
It took off at 11.11pm on Wednesday but was forced to make emergency landing
Man, 25, from Dandenong, arrested after questioning by AFP and Victoria Police
Passengers said man attempted to enter cockpit, claiming he had 'explosives'
Other passengers on the plane tackled the man and pinned him to the ground
Passengers waited 90 minutes for police to board plane and take control
By Daniel Peters and Joshua Hanrahan For Daily Mail Australia and Aap
Published: 01:44 BST, 1 June 2017 | Updated: 07:02 BST, 1 June 2017
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A Sri Lankan trainee chef living in Australia on a student visa has been charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a plane carrying more than 330 passengers out of Melbourne.
Victoria Police originally thought there was more than one terror threat on board Malyasia Airlines flight MH128 from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur late on Wednesday, so waited up to 90 minutes before special operations officers entered the plane.
Terrified passengers were texting loved ones saying they thought they were going to die amid fears the device that the man brought on the plane was going to explode.
The 25-year-old, who was released from psychiatric care on the same day as the flight, was arrested early on Thursday morning following the overnight drama.
He faces two charges against the Crimes Aviation Act and will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon.
Heroic passengers on board the plane reportedly tackled the man to the ground and hogtied him after he allegedly shouted: ‘I’m going to blow up this f***ing plane’.
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Pictured: Sri Lankan national, 25, from Dandenong, charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a plane flying from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. He will face court on Thursday
Pictured: Sri Lankan national, 25, from Dandenong, charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a plane flying from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. He will face court on Thursday
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Dandenong, Melbourne, after he allegedly boarded a plane flying to Kuala Lumpur and threatened to blow it up with a bomb
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Dandenong, Melbourne, after he allegedly boarded a plane flying to Kuala Lumpur and threatened to blow it up with a bomb
Images of the terrifying moment the attacker was subdued by passengers onboard the flight have been shared to social media. Having been tackled to the floor, photos show a Malaysia Airlines flight attendant keeping him pressed to the ground
Images of the terrifying moment the attacker was subdued by passengers onboard the flight have been shared to social media. Having been tackled to the floor, photos show a Malaysia Airlines flight attendant keeping him pressed to the ground
Scottish man Robert MacDonald said the Sri Lankan man 'didn't stand a chance'. He was one of four or five people who tackled him to the ground and restrained him until police arrived
Scottish man Robert MacDonald said the Sri Lankan man 'didn't stand a chance'. He was one of four or five people who tackled him to the ground and restrained him until police arrived
Gun-wielding special operation officers wearing camouflage outfits and bullet-proof vests boarded the MH128 flight as it sat on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport, before detaining the attacker
Gun-wielding special operation officers wearing camouflage outfits and bullet-proof vests boarded the MH128 flight as it sat on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport, before detaining the attacker
Passenger Selena Brown told The Age the most frustrating part was seeing police outside the plane and wondering why they were taking so long to board.
'We were told police would take 10 minutes but it was over an hour. I thought it was really disappointing only because we weren't updated all the time. We could see them all outside and they weren't coming on to the plane and we didn't know why,' she told the publication.
One man said his girlfriend, a passenger on board the flight, feared for her life and had sent messages to her family concerned for her safety.
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'She sent messages to her mum and sister saying she thought she was going to die,' Lachie Langord, a boyfriend of a passenger, told 7 News.
'It was pretty full on - for the better part of four hours my heart has been pounding.'
Laura, another passenger, told the ABC she was sitting only metres from what she thought was an explosive device.
'I think the worst part was that we were sitting on the aircraft for just under two hours, and we were under the impression that there was still an explosive on the aircraft,' she said.
'We were online getting the live feed from news and that was when a lot of people found out it was an explosive, so a lot of people started to freak out once we'd actually touched down.'
Passenger Selena Brown said most frustrating part was seeing police outside the plane and wondering why they were taking so long to board (status on flight pictured)
Passenger Selena Brown said most frustrating part was seeing police outside the plane and wondering why they were taking so long to board (status on flight pictured)
Passengers (pictured) were texting loved ones saying they thought they were going to die amid fears the device the man brought on the plane was going to explode
Passengers (pictured) were texting loved ones saying they thought they were going to die amid fears the device the man brought on the plane was going to explode
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton defended the delay passengers (pictured) experienced before police stormed the plane
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton defended the delay passengers (pictured) experienced before police stormed the plane
Scottish man Robert Macdonald was in Australia to visit his grandkids and responded when a flight attendant called for help on Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 late on Wednesday night.
'The girl called for help... (it's) the thing you do,' he told reporters on Thursday.
'He had four or five us, quite big guys, he didn't have a chance. (We put) knees on him, hands on him.'
Mr Macdonald said the stewards tied the man up with a seat belt and then used plastic wire to restrain his hands.
Mr Macdonald lives in Milton Keynes in England and was travelling with his wife to see their daughter and grandkids.
'I'd do it again. I just had to get on and help,' he said.
Dramatic audio recordings captured the terrifying moment the pilot of MH128 was forced to call air traffic control after the man allegedly threatened to to blow up the plane.
'We have a passenger trying to enter the cockpit. He is claiming to have an explosive device. He tried to enter the cockpit,' the pilot can be heard saying calmly.
'He has been overpowered by passengers, however we'd like to land and have the device checked out.'
Lachie Langford (pictured) said his girlfriend, who was on board the flight, had sent him a message saying she feared for her life
Lachie Langford (pictured) said his girlfriend, who was on board the flight, had sent him a message saying she feared for her life
According to witnesses, the man yelled 'I'm going to blow up this plane' as he attempted to enter the cockpit
According to witnesses, the man yelled 'I'm going to blow up this plane' as he attempted to enter the cockpit
The 25-year-old man accused of threatening to blow up a plane was arrested early on Thursday morning and will face court on Thursday afternoon.
'He had been released from psychiatric care from the Monash Medical Centre (on Wednesday), and from there, we believe he has purchased a ticket on this plane,' Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters.
Passengers criticised the length of time they had to wait on the tarmac not knowing if there was a bomb on the plane or not.
'If there was a bomb on that plane we should have been evacuated from it. Instead we sat there,' passenger Stan Young told reporters.
But Mr Ashton said there were initial reports about there being possibly more than one offender or device on board.
'(I) absolutely understand if you are on a plane in that situation, it could seem like a long wait,' he said.
'We have to make sure all possibilities are taken into account, including the possibilities of co-offenders, or, if there was an explosive device, the possibility of there being other explosive devices where the sudden removal of the passengers could cause difficulty.'
Passengers (pictured) criticised the length of time they had to wait on the tarmac not knowing if there was a bomb on the plane or not
Passengers (pictured) criticised the length of time they had to wait on the tarmac not knowing if there was a bomb on the plane or not
The airline said the man was apprehended by airport security after the plane landed and was sent to a remote part of the airport.
All other flights were diverted to Avalon, near Geelong, with Melbourne Airport in lockdown at the time.
Mr Ashton said the man was being interviewed by Victorian and federal police, and he was expected to face Melbourne Magistrates' Court later on Thursday.
He has been interviewed over commonwealth offences including making threats and false claims, and endangering aircraft safety.
Mr Ashton said both carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The seized device - described by one passenger to be the 'size of a watermelon with two antennas' - was in fact a bluetooth-compatible, portable iPhone speaker.
Passengers on board the plane said the man was holding a 'huge, metallic' object with antennas coming out of it
Passengers on board the plane said the man was holding a 'huge, metallic' object with antennas coming out of it
'I've got a bomb and I'm going to blow the f***ing plane up': Former AFL star Andrew Leoncelli confronted the man
'I've got a bomb and I'm going to blow the f***ing plane up': Former AFL star Andrew Leoncelli confronted the man
People on board the flight witnessed the man attack an air hostess just minutes after take-off at 11.11pm on Wednesday, before he was heard shouting 'I'm going to blow up this plane'.
Passengers then confronted the man and tackled him down to the ground, allowing the pilot to make a dramatic u-turn back to Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport.
Gun-wielding special operation officers wearing camouflage and bullet-proof vests boarded the plane and detained the attacker, with all passengers disembarking the flight shortly before 2am.
Former AFL star Andrew Leoncelli was sitting in business class on the flight and was just metres from the man as he launched his attack.
Mr Leoncelli told The Age the man began attacking an air-hostess, 'screaming' at her that he 'needed to see the captain'.
'I've got a bomb and I'm going to f***ing blow the plane up,' Leoncelli quoted the man as saying.
'Literally he was eyeball to eyeball with me saying he was going to blow the plane up... he looked like a lunatic.'
Mr Leoncelli said the man, who was tall and had dark skin, was holding a 'huge, metallic, unusual' object the size of a watermelon with two short antennas.
'We spent an hour and a half sitting on the plane sh***ing our dacks that this thing might blow up,' he told Triple M radio.
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the Melbourne Airport tarmac for more than two hours
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the Melbourne Airport tarmac for more than two hours
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the tarmac with passengers still onboard for more than two hours, with passengers disembarking (pictured) shortly before 2am
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the tarmac with passengers still onboard for more than two hours, with passengers disembarking (pictured) shortly before 2am
Superintendent Langdon said the 25-year-old man had a history of mental illness and was not carrying an explosive device.
'It's quite heroic for the passengers and crew to restrain this person,' he said.
The Malaysian Government claimed the suspicious object the man was holding was likely a powerbank used to charge mobile phones.
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the tarmac with passengers still on board for more than two hours.
All flights out of Tullamarine were grounded, while incoming aircraft have been diverted to nearby Avalon Airport, or as far away as Tasmania.
The plane has been moved to a secure location for further checking before it is brought back to the tarmac.
Passenger Arif Chaudhery was on board the plane when he threatened to blow up the plane
Passenger Arif Chaudhery was on board the plane when he threatened to blow up the plane
A woman named Vanessa, whose boyfriend Andrew was a passenger onboard, said the man threatened to detonate the explosives on the plane. The guy said "I'm going to blow up this plane",' she said
A woman named Vanessa, whose boyfriend Andrew was a passenger onboard, said the man threatened to detonate the explosives on the plane. The guy said 'I'm going to blow up this plane',' she said
All flights out of Tullamarine (pictured) have reportedly been grounded, while incoming aircraft have been diverted to nearby Avalon Airport, or as far away as Tasmania
All flights out of Tullamarine (pictured) have reportedly been grounded, while incoming aircraft have been diverted to nearby Avalon Airport, or as far away as Tasmania
Police have set up a perimeter around the airport, but insist there is no imminent threat
Police have set up a perimeter around the airport, but insist there is no imminent threat
A woman named Vanessa, whose boyfriend was a passenger onboard, told radio station 3AW the man threatened to detonate the explosives on the plane.
'He was the one who first confronted him when an air hostess was getting scared of this guy and that's when the guy said 'I'm going to blow up this plane',' she said.
Vanessa said the man then ran to another part of the plane where he was tackled to the ground by passengers.
Saiqa Chaudhery, whose husband was on the flight, described the horrifying scenes.
'He heard a lot of screaming and (an) airhostess calling out for help as a passenger attacked her,' Ms Chaudhery told News.com.au.
'Some other passengers and crew tied the man down and (the) flight landed back at Melbourne Airport 25 minutes after takeoff.'
MALAYSIA AIRLINES' CALAMITOUS HISTORY
- December, 4, 1977: Malaysian Airline System Flight 653, a Boeing 737-200, is hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, killing all 100 people on board.
- December 18, 1983: Malaysian Airline System Flight 684, an Airbus A300B2, crashed 2km short of the runway at Subang Airport. All 247 passengers and crew survived.
All 247 passengers and crew miraculously survived when Airline System Flight 684 crashed 2km short of the runway at Subang Airport
All 247 passengers and crew miraculously survived when Airline System Flight 684 crashed 2km short of the runway at Subang Airport
- September 15, 1995: Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133 touched down too far along the runway at Tawau Airport, Sabah. It crashed into a shanty town and killed 34 of the 53 people on board.
- March 8, 2014: The infamous flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. The plane has never been located but satellite date suggested it disappeared somewhere over the Southern Indian Ocean and all 239 people on board most likely perished.
Wreckage from the infamous flight MH370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board, has been washing up ever since it vanished in 2014
Wreckage from the infamous flight MH370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board, has been washing up ever since it vanished in 2014
- July 17, 2014: Flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200ER, was shot down over Ukraine by a missile on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members aboard were killed.
Flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200ER, was shot down over Ukraine by a missile, killing all 298 people on board
Flight MH17, a Boeing 777-200ER, was shot down over Ukraine by a missile, killing all 298 people on board
