VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: Passengers and a pilot foiled an attempt by an armed man to board a plane at Australia’s Avalon Airport, prompting the closure of the airport.
According to media reports, the suspect was dressed as a worker and was trying to board flight JQ640 to Sydney when he was tackled by passengers and a pilot.
Victoria Police arrested the suspect at the scene and no injuries were reported during the arrest.
Video shows police officers leading away the suspect, who was dressed as a worker. Local media reported that the suspect boarded the plane disguised as an airline technician and was carrying a knife and a shotgun.
Eyewitness Baker said that passengers who realized that the man was armed brought him down to the ground with the help of the pilot.
Passenger Barry Clark, who helped arrest the armed man, said that the suspect entered the plane dressed as a technician. As soon as he entered, the flight attendants were questioning him, and at that moment he became angry.
He said that before we knew it, he had taken out a shotgun, so I moved the flight attendants out of the way and snatched the gun from the suspect’s hand, broke it and threw it towards the stairs.
He said that after that I grabbed him and lifted him and threw him to the ground, while the police arrived.
Victoria Police confirmed the incident and said that officers were called to Avalon Airport after reports of people armed with firearms trying to board a commercial flight.
The police said in a statement that the suspect was arrested before boarding the plane and that the police were called and officers took action and took the suspect into custody.
The statement said that fortunately no one was injured in the incident, but the incident is under investigation.
Avalon Airport CEO Ari Sus also confirmed the incident and said that the airport had been closed to passengers until further notice.
He said that we are currently investigating the situation and the first priority is the safety of passengers and our staff.
Jetstar confirmed that this was a security breach but placed full responsibility for the investigation with Victoria Police and Avalon Airport officials.
Earlier last week, a Qantas Link plane crashed into runway lights during takeoff at Mildura Airport in northwestern Victoria, Australia due to pilot error.
Later, during the investigation, the pilot underwent a medical test in which he tested positive for taking banned drugs, and after that, both pilots of the plane were presented for investigation before both safety regulators and the airline.
