Expert says MH128 ‘hijacker’ shouldn’t have boarded plane
The man who terrified passengers with threats to blow up a plane should never have been allowed on the aircraft, an aviation expert claims.
The 25-year-old was drunk and had a history of mental illness when he tried to storm the MH128 cockpit yelling ‘I’m going to blow the f**king plane up’ while brandishing a ‘huge, metallic object with two antennas’.
He was tackled and tied up by passengers and the Malaysia Airlines flight returned to Melbourne Airport where he was arrested.
The man who terrified passengers with threats to blow up a plane should never have been allowed on the aircraft, an aviation expert claims
Strategic Aviation Solutions chairman Neil Hansford said he would likely have been behaving strangely while boarding the flight and someone should have stopped him.
‘This person clearly had issues and would’ve been displaying agitation and other issues,’ he told 3AW radio.
‘He should’ve been identified, I believe, either in the boarding area or the staff that are standing at the gate.’
Mr Hansford said someone should have said ‘that person doesn’t look right to be boarding this aircraft and actually got off their butt and done something’.
The man was tackled and tied up by passengers and the Malaysian Airlines flight returned to Melbourne Airport where he was arrested
Gun-wielding special operation officers wearing camouflage outfits and bullet-proof vests boarded the MH128 flight as it sat on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport, before detaining the attacker
But he claimed Australians now adopted a ‘nanny state’ mentality where they don’t speak up or warn authorities about anything.
‘We’ve now got to the stage where nobody’s going to say ‘boo’ to anybody,’ he said.
The object the man claimed to be a bomb was actually a large bluetooth speaker, police said on Thursday.
Strategic Aviation Solutions chairman Neil Hansford said he would likely have been behaving strangely while boarding the flight and someone should have stopped him
Mr Hansford said the chances of getting an explosive device on an aircraft in Australia were ‘minuscule’ as security was too tight.
He also said it would be impossible for a hijacker or bomber to enter the flight deck unless he rushed the door when they were opened to give the pilots food.
‘The door is axe-proof and you’re not going to get an axe on an aircraft anyway,’ he said.
However, he said flight attendants should put a trolley in front of the cockpit door when it is opened to block the path of anyone trying to rush in.
Other experts questioned why armed police took 90 minutes to storm the plane and arrest the man after he was tackled and tied up by passengers and crew.
Many passengers spoke out after the ordeal slamming police for standing outside the plane without giving any updates.
According to witnesses, the man yelled ‘I’m going to blow up this plane’ as he attempted to enter the cockpit
Aviation management consultant Trevor Jensen said the delay seemed excessive, and may have caused passengers more stress.
‘The longer you leave him there, it’s just a lot of unnecessary distress for a lot of other people,’ he told the ABC.
He said as it was identified very early the would-be bomber was not a terrorist, police needed to ‘be smarter’ and not unnecessarily scare passengers.
Former Qantas security manager Geoff Askew said police could have good reasons for waiting so long as they needed to know exactly what they were walking in to.
‘It’s a prudent approach by law enforcement to have as much information as they can before they enter what could be a dangerous situation,’ he told the ABC.
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the Melbourne Airport tarmac for more than two hours
After making an emergency landing the plane sat on the tarmac with passengers still onboard for more than two hours, with passengers disembarking (pictured) shortly before 2am
‘If he had not had a mental illness, if he actually was a terrorist… if he was acting in concert with somebody else on board that aircraft that had not been identified at that stage, then the response agencies at this stage are looking at those 200–300 passengers on board with suspicious eyes.’
Superintendent Martin Goode from the Australian Federal Police defended the delay.
‘The safety of the passengers is paramount so we needed to consider a number of options and Victoria Police were handling that side of things in discussion with us and we needed to make sure that all contingencies were covered,’ he said.
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