Malaysia Airlines bomb scare passenger had just left psychiatric care
A man at the centre of a mid-flight bomb scare that caused panic on a Malaysia Airlines jet was let out of a psychiatric centre just hours before he boarded the flight.
Sri Lankan national Manodh Marks has been charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft and making false threats.
He could face up to 10 years in prison.
The jet was forced to return to Melbourne after he tried to enter the cockpit.
According to reports from witnesses, a man ran down the aisle carrying a ‘very unusual object’ but three Australian men wrestled him to the ground and was subdued until the plane landed back at Melbourne.
"We believe that the actions of the passengers and crew were quite heroic," said police superintendent Tony Langdon.
He was removed from the aircraft by his arms and legs by heavily armed police officers.
Authorities have ruled out terrorism and said the man was not carrying an explosive device but a bluetooth speaker, or something similar.
Flight MH128 had been heading for Kuala Lumpur with 337 people on board..
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the aircraft was only airborne for 14 minutes before performing a u-turn at around 11.30pm.
Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said: "I don’t think any of us have a true understanding of the trauma, just how frightening this experience would have been."
At a first court appearance, which Marks declined to attend, his lawyer says he requires an urgent mental health evaluation.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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