The passengers onboard a Malaysia Airlines plane that was forced to return to Sydney after a security incident on Monday have spoken out following the terrifying incident.
After safely exiting the plane, passengers on board the MH122 from Sydney to Kyaka Lumpur recounted their experience. They alleged that 45 minutes into the flight, a man reached into his bag and claimed to have something “dangerous” inside.
Some passengers even posted videos and accounts of the agitated man’s actions to social media, which allegedly depict him saying his name is Mohammad and that he is a “slave of Allah.”
“I think for a lot of people it would have been quite disturbing. They would be quite traumatised by it. There were children, babies, it was quite scary,” one passenger told Daily Mail Australia.
“We weren’t able to be told what was going on,” a fellow passenger explained.
“We knew the plane was turning around because you can see it on the inflight screen and we could feel the plane banking and suddenly we had a course for Sydney and nobody told us why.”
“I think it’s more not knowing,” one woman said.
“The staff were incredible. The Malaysian Airlines staff didn’t want to say anything to stress anyone out and keep everyone calm.”
On Twitter, passenger Sammi Marks documented what happened, calling the occurrence the “scariest situation” of her life.
In a statement, the AFP said that the man has been arrested and all passengers and crew were removed from the plane.
“There is no impending threat to the community,” the statement read, per ABC.
“The AFP will not divulge operational matters, however, an emergency response plan was enacted and an evacuation was initiated once it was deemed safe for passengers and crew.”
While no one was harmed, some passengers have taken to social media to critique how long it took law enforcement to remove them or the man from the plane.
“We landed back in Sydney at about 3:45. We are still on the plane with this guy who arced up again and tried to take on a passenger who stood up to him. Lord help us if we ever have a more serious incident,” wrote Sammi Marks.
Another passenger, Ilya Vlasov, tweeted his confusion and frustration.
“I’m on #MH122 now and have zero idea where the hell is the police,” he wrote.
“There is zero sign of security forces around. Is their plan just to wait until he falls asleep?”
Passengers have recounted that they were asked to leave their belongings on board and exit the plane. They were given vouchers for a hotel and their flight was rescheduled for today.
This morning, Police Commissioner Karen Webb denied that the delay was “too long” while speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“We were notified at about 4.15pm yesterday and it was resolved at about 6.15pm. Given it’s a volatile situation, and unpredictable, we didn’t know the severity of the incident. You have to deal with what you learn about the passenger — we didn’t know if there was a bomb. The AFP had to work through all those considerations.”
Webb praised the crew for keeping the passengers calm and attempting to de-escalate the situation.
“I think three hours is pretty good. I know it’s pretty terrifying. The protocol in Australia is to negotiate. We don’t storm planes — this is not TV, it’s not the movies — and we want to protect the lives of all passengers.”
Webb also confirmed that the man has now been charged with two counts. One for making a false statement and another for not complying with directions. He appeared at the Downing Centre Court on Tuesday where bail was refused.
(Image Source: Nine News)
The post Passengers On The MH122 Flight That Landed In Sydney After A Security Incident Have Spoken Out appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
