‘Too long’? Top police official responds to Sydney plane incident response criticism
- Replies 8
Ah, air travel. The now-familiar occurrence of sitting on that metal contraption, hurtling through the sky at hundreds of kilometres an hour—quite the 21st-century luxury.
But as much as the miracle of flight continues to astound us with the convenience of long-distance air travel, it comes with associated risks.
On Monday, August 14th, passengers aboard a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney Airport were expecting a smooth journey, only to be met with sudden chaos as their plane was forced to turn back.
This dramatic turn of events resulted from an unruly passenger, a 45-year-old man, allegedly claiming to be the 'slave of Allah' and announcing that he had a bomb in his bag.
It left a group of over 200 passengers vulnerable in the sky.
NSW's Police Commissioner Karen Webb has slowly been revealing more information about the unforeseen incident and, more recently, defending the police force's reaction time to the conflicting situation amid criticism it was ‘too long’.
‘I think three hours is pretty good,’ she said on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live.
‘Given it’s a volatile situation and unpredictable, we didn’t know the severity of the incident. You have to deal with what you learn about the passenger—we didn’t know if there was a bomb. AFP (Australian Federal Police) had to work through all those considerations.’
Ms Webb said the situation was handled correctly, though she admitted it had naturally been a distressing experience for spectators.
‘I know it’s pretty terrifying. The protocol in Australia is to negotiate. We don’t storm planes—this is not TV, it’s not the movies—and we want to protect the lives of all passengers.’
Earlier, reports indicated some passengers felt horrified at the time it took for responders to arrive on the scene.
Nikitha Ezhu, a passenger on the flight and a mum of two, shared her harrowing account of being in limbo when the plane landed back at Sydney Airport.
'We were able to pick up Wi-Fi, but there was no food or anything on the flight, which was really bad. When we saw the news, it really horrified us,’ she said.
'It was a nightmare. There were a lot of kids on the flight, and I don't know how we went through that situation.'
Based on her recollection, it took the police two hours ‘to come and take some action’.
‘It was really horrifying, actually…I don't why it took so long for the police to come…’
Source: X/@jawadmnazir
Meanwhile, testimonies from other passengers have since shed more light on how the incident started on the plane.
As the flight took off, individuals began to notice a man's increasingly erratic behaviour. Edo Khan, another passenger on the flight, said the man was praying ‘Allahu Akbar, God is great,’ very loudly.
He had a bag strapped to his front, which the flight crew then asked him to store in the overhead locker.
‘That’s what started the whole thing,’ Khan said.
‘He wouldn’t put it up. And then he said, “Don’t touch me…I have got a bomb in here. If you love your life ... don’t touch me.”’
The tense atmosphere was alleviated somewhat as one particular crew member sought to de-escalate the situation by talking to the man and engaging with him calmly and kindly.
This eventually worked, and passengers noticed a change in the man once they were nearly back on the ground, as he returned to his more normal self.
The man’s actions have also earned condemnation from Muslims, who feel he embarrassed the community.
‘I’m gutted and feel extremely bad, all it takes is one person to tar everyone with the same brush,’ said Jawad Nazir, who also had a friend aboard the flight.
‘I feel bad for the people on the plane, no one deserves to go through something like this.’
The individual at the centre of this affair has since been charged with 'making a false statement' and 'not complying with directions'.
He was held for questioning by the AFP and appeared at Downing Centre Court on Tuesday morning. He was refused bail.
We’re especially thankful that this situation had a safe resolution for everyone involved.
So, what are your thoughts about this, members? Accounts vary, but is two or three hours to respond too long, as the police are being criticised for?
Or do you agree that addressing and de-escalating a potential threat, as Police Commissioner Webb stressed, isn’t as simple as it seems?
Tell us your thoughts, members!
Source: YouTube/9 News Australia
But as much as the miracle of flight continues to astound us with the convenience of long-distance air travel, it comes with associated risks.
On Monday, August 14th, passengers aboard a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney Airport were expecting a smooth journey, only to be met with sudden chaos as their plane was forced to turn back.
This dramatic turn of events resulted from an unruly passenger, a 45-year-old man, allegedly claiming to be the 'slave of Allah' and announcing that he had a bomb in his bag.
It left a group of over 200 passengers vulnerable in the sky.
NSW's Police Commissioner Karen Webb has slowly been revealing more information about the unforeseen incident and, more recently, defending the police force's reaction time to the conflicting situation amid criticism it was ‘too long’.
At one point, the man stood up and told other passengers he was a slave to Allah. Other accounts say he was asking this to others. Image Credit: X/@jawadmnazir
‘I think three hours is pretty good,’ she said on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live.
‘Given it’s a volatile situation and unpredictable, we didn’t know the severity of the incident. You have to deal with what you learn about the passenger—we didn’t know if there was a bomb. AFP (Australian Federal Police) had to work through all those considerations.’
Ms Webb said the situation was handled correctly, though she admitted it had naturally been a distressing experience for spectators.
‘I know it’s pretty terrifying. The protocol in Australia is to negotiate. We don’t storm planes—this is not TV, it’s not the movies—and we want to protect the lives of all passengers.’
Earlier, reports indicated some passengers felt horrified at the time it took for responders to arrive on the scene.
Nikitha Ezhu, a passenger on the flight and a mum of two, shared her harrowing account of being in limbo when the plane landed back at Sydney Airport.
'We were able to pick up Wi-Fi, but there was no food or anything on the flight, which was really bad. When we saw the news, it really horrified us,’ she said.
'It was a nightmare. There were a lot of kids on the flight, and I don't know how we went through that situation.'
Based on her recollection, it took the police two hours ‘to come and take some action’.
‘It was really horrifying, actually…I don't why it took so long for the police to come…’
Source: X/@jawadmnazir
Meanwhile, testimonies from other passengers have since shed more light on how the incident started on the plane.
As the flight took off, individuals began to notice a man's increasingly erratic behaviour. Edo Khan, another passenger on the flight, said the man was praying ‘Allahu Akbar, God is great,’ very loudly.
He had a bag strapped to his front, which the flight crew then asked him to store in the overhead locker.
‘That’s what started the whole thing,’ Khan said.
‘He wouldn’t put it up. And then he said, “Don’t touch me…I have got a bomb in here. If you love your life ... don’t touch me.”’
The tense atmosphere was alleviated somewhat as one particular crew member sought to de-escalate the situation by talking to the man and engaging with him calmly and kindly.
This eventually worked, and passengers noticed a change in the man once they were nearly back on the ground, as he returned to his more normal self.
The man’s actions have also earned condemnation from Muslims, who feel he embarrassed the community.
‘I’m gutted and feel extremely bad, all it takes is one person to tar everyone with the same brush,’ said Jawad Nazir, who also had a friend aboard the flight.
‘I feel bad for the people on the plane, no one deserves to go through something like this.’
The individual at the centre of this affair has since been charged with 'making a false statement' and 'not complying with directions'.
He was held for questioning by the AFP and appeared at Downing Centre Court on Tuesday morning. He was refused bail.
We’re especially thankful that this situation had a safe resolution for everyone involved.
So, what are your thoughts about this, members? Accounts vary, but is two or three hours to respond too long, as the police are being criticised for?
Or do you agree that addressing and de-escalating a potential threat, as Police Commissioner Webb stressed, isn’t as simple as it seems?
Tell us your thoughts, members!
Source: YouTube/9 News Australia
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