A man whose rants about being a “slave to Allah” forced an international flight to return to Sydney has been charged.
Dramatic video was shared widely online on Monday show the man allegedly accosting airline crew on the Malaysia-bound plane.
The disruption grounded all flights in and out of Sydney airport for several hours, before the man was arrested by AFP about 7pm.
The 45-year-old Canberra man was charged on Tuesday morning with a string of aviation offences, including not complying with instruction.
The man also faces a single charge of making a false statement about threat to damage a “Division 3” aircraft under Aviation law.
If found guilty and convicted, the man faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of over $15,000 for the two offences.
He is expected to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
The flight to Malaysia, which departed about 1pm, returned to Sydney International Airport shortly before 4pm on Monday.
During the flight, a male passenger allegedly became disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board.
The plane landed back in Sydney just before 4pm and was isolated at the end of a runway.
The other passengers were moved to another part of the jet.
The man’s bag was examined by the flight crew and was determined to not have anything dangerous inside.
More to come.