Australian authorities have charged a man who caused a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur to turn back on Monday, after threatening to blow up the plane.
According to AP, Canberra resident Muhammad Arif Ali was charged yesterday with making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft and failing to comply with the cabin crew's safety instructions.
The 45-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of more than AUD$15,000 (RM45,000).
Daily Mail reported that Arif delayed his first appearance via video link before a Sydney court by nearly three hours, after refusing to leave his cell.
He was then reportedly forced out of the cell by Magistrate Greg Grogin.
The suspect's defence lawyer Mostafa Daoudie reportedly told Grogin that Arif had "serious mental issues" and was not in the "right state of mind" when the incident happened.
The dual Pakistani-Australian citizen remains in custody after the magistrate refused bail.
Flight MH122 was forced to turn around over New South Wales after the mid-air "emergency incident" on Monday.
The Airbus A330 with 199 passengers and 12 crew left Sydney Airport at 1.40pm local time but landed back on the runway at 3.47pm that day.
Fellow passengers shot videos of Arif making religious remarks on board. At one point, he reportedly started praying aloud, before pushing and shoving other passengers.
He then allegedly implied that he had explosives in his backpack. Videos of the incident are circulating on social media.
Arif was arrested about three hours after the plane landed at the Sydney airport. - Mkini
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