Australian police arrested a suspected hijacker who allegedly tried to grab management of an Australian passenger jet and take it to the Center East – with investigations into the motive ongoing
A significant counter-terrorism operation has prevented what officers say was an try and seize management of an Australian passenger jet.
The Australian Federal Police swooped earlier this 12 months, arresting a suspect now dealing with court docket. A strict suppression order shields their id, however the case has triggered pressing talks between House Affairs and airports to tighten safety throughout the nation. It’s alleged the hijacker deliberate to drive the aircraft in direction of a hostile nation within the Center East, with investigators additionally inspecting whether or not extremist ideology or anti-Semitism motivated the try, The Australian reviews.
Talking in regards to the plot on Dawn, Well being Minister Mark Butler reassured Australians that there is no such thing as a risk to the neighborhood. He stated: “Clearly any report of a possible hijacking sends shivers down the backbone of each Australian. Notably Australians who fly. I need to be cautious about this. This alleged hijacker is in custody. There is not any risk to the Australian neighborhood.”
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“However there is a suppression order on this for good purpose. Investigations are nonetheless underway by our intelligence and safety companies. So we do not need to speculate about different facets of this concern. We need to let our companies do their work and that may all come out sooner or later and be prosecuted within the regular approach.”
Former pilot David Oliver stated the plot would have been extraordinarily laborious to drag off. “Firstly there is a safety protocols on the bottom that are pretty strict, each for airport employees an non-airport employees who need to entry sure services,” he stated.
“And on the plane, there’s strict protocols for flight entry which each the cabin crew and flight crew are privy too that passengers wouldn’t know – it might be troublesome to get into the flight deck.”
The plan is alleged to have concerned a number of stops to refuel the aircraft en path to the Center East. Requested if a home aircraft may have been the goal as a result of refuelling, Mr Oliver stated: “Not essentially. It may have been a world plane there are plane that fly internationally that do not have the vary to make it direct to the Center East.
“However a refueling cease provides quite a lot of issues to any potential risk as a result of there is not any nation that I’ve flown into that might let a hijacked aircraft refuel and hold going. I believe the hijacker hadn’t thought his plan by.”
