MH122 incident: man charged for fake bomb threat on Sydney-KL flight

SYDNEY – A 45-year-old man was charged today after disrupting an international flight from Australia to Malaysia.

According to a statement by Australian Federal Police, the Canberra resident faces charges for making false statements about threats to damage a Division 3 aircraft and failing to comply with the cabin crew’s safety instructions, reported Xinhua.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of 10-year imprisonment and a fine of over A$15,000 (RM45,047), respectively. The man is expected to appear in Downing Centre local court also today.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 left Sydney at about 1pm local time bound for Kuala Lumpur yesterday but was forced to turn back to Sydney Airport at 3.45pm local time due to the passenger on board. 

“During the flight, the male passenger allegedly became disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board,” said federal police, adding that he was arrested without incident. – Bernama, August 15, 2023