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Arrest after Bali plane hijack alert in Indonesia | Arrest after Bali plane hijack alert in Indonesia |
(35 minutes later) | |
A passenger who caused a hijack scare on a flight from Australia to Indonesia has been arrested at Bali airport, officials say. | A passenger who caused a hijack scare on a flight from Australia to Indonesia has been arrested at Bali airport, officials say. |
Virgin Australia said a passenger had been handcuffed by crew on the Boeing 737 after acting aggressively. | Virgin Australia said a passenger had been handcuffed by crew on the Boeing 737 after acting aggressively. |
The flight from Brisbane was boarded by Indonesian troops on landing after reports that it had been hijacked. | The flight from Brisbane was boarded by Indonesian troops on landing after reports that it had been hijacked. |
Virgin blamed confusion around the incident on a "miscommunication" and said the passenger had been drunk. | Virgin blamed confusion around the incident on a "miscommunication" and said the passenger had been drunk. |
The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Indonesia said fears of a hijacking were caused after the pilot sent a distress signal to airport authorities. | The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Indonesia said fears of a hijacking were caused after the pilot sent a distress signal to airport authorities. |
"This is no hijacking, this is a miscommunication," Heru Sudjatmiko, a Virgin Australia official said. | "This is no hijacking, this is a miscommunication," Heru Sudjatmiko, a Virgin Australia official said. |
"There was a drunk passenger, intoxicated and aggressively behaved. He was trying to enter the cockpit, banging the door but he did not enter the cockpit." | |
Crew members seized the passenger, who authorities identified as Matt Christopher, a 28-year-old from Australia. | |
An hour before landing in Bali, the plane's original destination, the pilot alerted traffic controllers to a possible hijacking on board, an Indonesian air force spokesman said. | |
Palani Mohan, a passenger on another flight that was about to take off from Bali, told AFP that the pilot of his plane announced the airport was in lockdown. | |
"The captain of my plane made an announcement saying we were delayed indefinitely because a hijack was going on in Bali airport, about 150 metres away from us." | |
"I saw at least five vehicles including military-style trucks, filled with men in uniform, rushing towards the plane," he said. | |
"Then the Virgin plane taxied away, followed by the convoy of security forces." | |
Police arrested the man shortly after the plane landed and all of the passengers were unharmed. | |
The airport was closed briefly but flights resumed shortly after the incident. | |
Virgin Australia Airlines, formerly Virgin Blue Airlines, is Australia's second-largest airline. | Virgin Australia Airlines, formerly Virgin Blue Airlines, is Australia's second-largest airline. |