Passenger prevents worse Teenager boards plane with a loaded gun
At an airport southwest of the Australian city of Melbourne, a 17-year-old climbs through a security fence and enters an airplane with a loaded gun. A passenger is able to prevent worse.
07.03.2025, 06:06
07.03.2025, 06:12
dpa
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- A 17-year-old has boarded an airplane in Australia with a loaded gun.
- The teenager was disarmed and detained by a passenger, according to police, who arrived shortly afterwards.
A 17-year-old boarded an airplane at Avalon Airport near Melbourne with a loaded gun. The teenager was disarmed and detained by a passenger, according to police who arrived shortly afterwards.
The incident occurred on Thursday. There were about 150 people on board Jetstar Airways flight 610 to Sydney, who were not injured, according to police. The flight was canceled. Without the man's quick intervention, "this would have been a very terrible incident for the passengers on the plane," said Victoria Police Commissioner Michael Reid.
The man who was able to subdue the boy said he pretended to be a maintenance worker and reacted excitedly when a flight attendant questioned him at the entrance to the plane. "I looked up and within a second I saw the barrel of a shotgun, and I thought to myself, that's not a tool that should be on an airplane," the man told Network 10 television.
Ex-professional boxer pulls 17-year-old to the ground
When the situation threatened to escalate and the teenager pulled out the gun, he reportedly sneaked up behind the boy, pushed the shotgun and the flight attendant in opposite directions and finally pulled the 17-year-old to the ground. The passenger is a former professional boxer: "I did what I had to do", he described the situation. He threw the boy to the ground and, with the help of the pilot and another passenger, held him in a position from which he could not get out until the police arrived.
Police Commissioner Reid said the boy, from Ballarat in Victoria, climbed through a hole in the airport security fence before reaching the stairs of the plane. The boy has been remanded in custody and is now due to appear before a children's court.
Avalon Airport general manager Ari Suss said they were working with Victoria Police to respond to the emergency. He said the airport had taken further measures to secure the entire site. Premier Anthony Albanese emphasized that although the incident was worrying, Australian airports were well secured.