A 17-year-old boy has been charged with eight offences following an incident on a Jetstar Airways plane, according to police reports. The teenager was arrested in Australia after boarding the aircraft with a loaded shotgun. The incident occurred at Avalon Airport, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Melbourne, on Thursday. Victoria Police confirmed that the boy was overpowered and detained by crew and passengers.
None of the roughly 160 passengers and crew members on the flight were injured. The teenager faces charges including endangering the safe operation of an aircraft and possession of a firearm. During his appearance at a juvenile court on Friday, police alleged that he had planted a fake homemade explosive device and threatened passengers and crew, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Reid praised the bravery of the passengers who intervened. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Reid stated, “No doubt this would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane, and Victoria Police really commend the bravery of the passengers who were able to overpower that male.”
Barry Clark, one of the passengers who helped subdue the suspect, described the moment he decided to act. Clark told local media that he noticed the suspect becoming agitated during an argument with a flight attendant about the firearm. “I saw the barrel butt, and when I saw the complete gun, I said we’re in trouble here and I saw it toward her chest, and so I thought, well, I’ve got to do something,” Clark explained in an interview with Network 10.
Clark added, “This is all happening in a matter of seconds. So I got up quietly. He had his back to me, the young girl was facing me, and the gun was only visible. But I knew that if I went to the side and pushed the gun away from him, at least if it went off, it would go off in the side of the plane and there was no one there.”
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