A 45-year-old man who terrified passengers on a Malaysia Airlines flight, forcing the pilot to turn back to Sydney, has spent the night in custody.
Flight MH122 left Sydney International Airport for Kuala Lumpur just after 1pm on Monday but returned at 3.47pm after the man began yelling, making references to Islam and gesturing at a backpack worn on his chest. “The commander of the flight made a decision to return to Sydney,” Malaysia Airlines told AAP in a statement.Once on the tarmac, a tense three-hour standoff began before the man was arrested by police.
Some passengers posted their experiences on social media, saying a man had been yelling at flight attendants and passengers, making threats and references to Islam and kneeling in the aisle of the aircraft.poor people on board are still waiting for security to get in and take him ... #MH122 is taken hostage by this lunatic giving Billions of Muslims a bad name,” passenger Jaward Nazir posted.“I’ve never been so scared,” another passenger said.