CHANGI SINGAPORE – It’s been a while that a joke bomb scare has managed to derail the plans of all the other people on one’s flight. To say that this is the biggest inconvenience would be nothing but the absolute truth.
A 37-year-old man who is a foreign national has been arrested for allegedly making a bomb threat on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from San Francisco that landed in Singapore.
According to the police and media reports provided the below stated is an accurate description of the events that took place since the aircraft left San Francisco.
SQ33, which left San Francisco at 10.26pm on earlier this week, was escorted by Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter jets, which landed at the Changi Airport at about 5.50am on Wednesday, according to the police, who were informed of the alleged bomb threat at about 2.40am on Wednesday.
The aircraft was then taxied to a remote area of the airport for security checks, according to a Singapore Airlines spokesman. The passenger was also handed over to the airport police. After the security checks were completed, the aircraft was towed to Changi Airport Terminal 3.
The Police gave the following statement “Preliminary investigations indicate that a 37-year-old male passenger had allegedly claimed that there was a bomb in a hand-carry bag, and had assaulted the crew, He was restrained by the crew, and subsequently arrested by the police under Regulation 8(1) of the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations and for suspected consumption of controlled drugs. Police investigations are ongoing.”
“Singapore Airlines apologises to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused by this incident. We are assisting our customers with the rebooking for any onward connections that they may have missed,” said the airline’s spokesman.
Under Regulation 8(1) of the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, it is an offence for a person to make false claims that a terrorist act has been, is being or will be carried out.
Those found guilty can be punished with a fine not exceeding $500,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.
