Passengers and crew on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur tackled a fellow passenger who attempted to enter the cockpit shouting he had a bomb, authorities and witnesses said on Thursday.
The 25-year-old man, a Sri Lankan national, was tied up with seatbelts and the flight diverted back to Melbourne following the incident shortly after takeoff late on Wednesday.
Australian police said they did not believe the incident was linked to terrorism, instead citing mental health issues. A device carried by the man as he shouted threats was not dangerous, they said. It appeared to be a bluetooth speaker device.
Arif Chaudhery, a passenger on board MH128, told Reuters that about 30 minutes into the flight a male passenger attacked a female member of the cabin crew who screamed for help.
"Some passengers and crew grabbed the man and tackled him to the floor," Chaudhery said, adding that seat belts were used to tie the man's hands.
"We were very lucky. It could have been worse."
Armed police boarded the plane when it landed back in Melbourne, taking the man, who bought a plane ticket hours after being released from psychiatric care, into custody.
The man is due to appear in court on Thursday on charges relating to making threats, false statements and endangering the safety of an aircraft.
INVESTIGATION BEGUN
Malaysia Airlines said it was investigating the incident and all baggage from the flight had been re-scanned by Australian security officials before being forwarded to new flights for the passengers.
"Malaysia Airlines’ technical and cabin crew that operated MH128/31May will not operate on flights until further notice," the airline added in a statement.
Australian authorities are also investigating.
Melbourne's Tullamarine airport was briefly closed during the incident but has since reopened, airport authorities said.
Malaysia Airlines has suffered two major disasters in recent years. In 2014, Flight MH370 with 239 people on board went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The Boeing 777 plane has yet to be found and its location is one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. The deep-sea search for the missing plane was called off in January.
Just over four months after MH370 went missing, Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down in eastern Ukraine, killing all on board.
The airline has struggled to recover from the disasters, having to cut staff and restructure its business as passenger numbers fell.
Reuters
Thu Jun 01 2017
A man who was arrested for trying to enter the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 is driven into the Melbourne Magistrates Court in Melbourne, Australia, June 1, 2017. AAP/David Crosling/via REUTERS
Bursa Malaysia dibuka tinggi, teruskan kenaikan
Pada 9.05 pagi, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) naik 2.89 mata kepada 1,585.55 daripada 1,582.66 ketika ditutup pada Isnin.
Apple Pencil baharu hadir dengan sistem haptik
Apabila digunakan pada skrin iPad, pengguna boleh merasakan tindak balas haptik seakan menggunakan pensel sebenar.
[TERKINI] KPM giat laksana pelbagai inisiatif bagi reformasi pendidikan negara
KPM berkata, Laporan Bank Dunia bertajuk 'Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundation Skills' berkenaan sistem pendidikan negara diambil perhatian.
Tentera AS edar gambar jeti maritim Gaza siap dibina
Beberapa gambar pembinaan jeti maritim oleh tentera Amerika Syarikat (AS) di Gaza untuk menghantar bantuan kemanusiaan telah diedarkan Komando Pusat AS pada Isnin.
Pesara tentera maut dilanggar lori menggelongsor
Orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat berhubung kejadian diminta menyalurkan maklumat berkenaan kepada pegawai penyiasat kes.
Kenaikan cukai perkhidmatan 8% beri kesan kos operasi, unjuran pendapatan Nestle Malaysia dikurangkan
Perbelanjaan operasi bagi 2024 juga diramal bertambah lagi susulan rasionalisasi bahan api yang berkemungkinan dilaksanakan.
Dua sahabat maut dilanggar bas
Mangsa maut di tempat kejadian akibat kecederaan parah di bahagian kepala.
25 terbunuh bas terjunam gaung di utara Peru
Bas antara negeri itu membawa 50 penumpang apabila insiden itu berlaku kira-kira 10.10 malam waktu tempatan.
Jepun, Uzbekistan berentap final Piala Asia B-23
Pasukan yang kalah dalam penentuan tempat ketiga itu akan menentang Guinea yang berada pada kedudukan keempat.
Che'gu Bard tiba di Mahkamah Sesyen Johor Bahru berdepan tuduhan lagi
Beliau yang hadir bersama peguamnya, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, dijangka berdepan satu lagi pertuduhan mengikut Akta Hasutan 1948.
MOT, Khazanah, MAG perlu perkukuh tadbir urus MAB - PM Anwar
Jelas Anwar lagi, pengurusan syarikat penerbangan yang baik juga akan memberi manfaat kepada kakitangan melalui gaji yang setimpal dengan perkhidmatan mereka.
Kekacauan di Asia Barat perlukan pengendali lapangan terbang proaktif tangani perubahan penerbangan - Pakar
Penutupan ruang udara dilihat akan menjejaskan sebahagian trafik penumpang, terutamanya untuk destinasi yang terletak di Iran.
Malaysia Airlines sambung semula penerbangan laluan Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan
Malaysia Airlines telah menyambung semula penerbangan ke dan dari Sabah, Sarawak dan Labuan secara berperingkat sejak petang semalam (18 April) susulan keadaan semasa cuaca.
Letusan Gunung Ruang: Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia batal penerbangan Kuala Lumpur ke Sabah, Sarawak
Malaysia Airlines umum pembatalan 11 penerbangan Sabah dan Kuala Lumpur serta lapan penerbangan laluan Sarawak dan Kuala Lumpur dibatalkan.
MAS ubah laluan penerbangan, elak ruang udara Iran dan ketegangan di Asia Barat
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) akan mengubah laluan penerbangan antara Kuala Lumpur dan London untuk mengelak ruang udara Iran berikutan ketegangan yang semakin memuncak di Asia Barat.
Malaysia Airlines jalin kerjasama dengan Man Utd sebagai rakan penerbangan komersial rasmi
MAS dalam usaha penting untuk meningkatkan jangkauan global, memeterai perkongsian strategik berbilang tahun dengan kelab bola sepak Manchester United (Man Utd).
Malaysia Airlines, Google bekerjasama pacu pelancongan
Malaysia Airlines dan Google bekerjasama untuk memacu peningkatan Malaysia sebagai destinasi pelancongan peringkat teratas.
Tourism Malaysia promosi produk 'niche' di OTM 2024
Tourism Malaysia mempromosikan beberapa produk khusus atau "niche" pada pameran pelancongan terbesar India, Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2024 yang berlangsung di Mumbai bermula 8 Feb hingga esok.
Malaysia Airlines perkenal MHrail, tawar peluang teroka Seoul, London
Ia turut mengumumkan pengembangan kerjasama dengan AccesRail, pembekal terkemuka dunia bagi rumusan antara kereta api udara.
Malaysia Airlines tambah penerbangan semasa Tahun Baharu Cina
Malaysia Airlines menambah jadual penerbangannya berikutan permintaan perjalanan yang meningkat semasa Tahun Baharu Cina dan cuti sekolah akan datang bermula Februari hingga Mac 2024.