Qantas jet bomb threat man appears in court
After a brief court appearance in Brisbane, a man accused of threatening to blow up a Qantas jet was yesterday refused bail.
Australian Federal Police officers arrested Colin Joseph Barlow, 38, a former security guard, after allegedly making the threat in an email sent from a Hotmail account on Wednesday morning.
Barlow appeared in the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court, where he was not required to enter a plea, to answer one count each of making a bomb threat and make a threat to destroy an aircraft, it remaining unclear whether Barlow had allegedly threatened to blow up a specific Qantas flight or if the threat was a general hoax.
An AFP spokesman said the criminal investigation conducted by officers from the Joint Airport Investigation team at Brisbane Airport resulted in the arrest of Barlow at his home early last night, adding “It will be alleged that the man used a Hotmail account to transmit a threatening email to various aviation authorities and airports at both Australian and international locations,” he said.
Charges laid against Barlow fall under Section 474.15 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act (1995) – using telecommunication to make threats – and Section 24(2) of the Crimes Aviation Act (1991) of knowingly making a false threat to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of an aircraft.
If convicted, Barlow faces a maximum prison term of 10 years.
Barlow was remanded in custody until December 1.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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