- Passenger, 46, attempted to open plane doors
- He was arrested in Sydney
A man flying from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney will face serious charges after allegedly attempting to open the plane’s emergency door several times during the flight.
Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, a 45-year-old Jordanian man, is accused of trying to open the rear emergency exit door on a AirAsiaX flight on Saturday evening.
The dangerous alleged act sparked immediate concern from crew and passengers and Alsaaydeh was escorted back to a seat in the middle of the plane.
However, the 46-year-old allegedly made a second attempt to open the middle emergency exit door.
He was restrained by crew members and passengers with one worker allegedly assaulted in the process.
Australian Federal Police arrested Alsaaydeh once the plane landed safely in Sydney.
It is unclear which airline was affected by the incident.
Alsaaydeh was charged with two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft, as well as one count of assaulting crew members.
A 45-year-old Jordanian man is accused of trying to open two emergency doors on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Davina Copelin warned dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated in Australia.
‘The actions of this man could have had tragic consequences, and passengers and airplane staff shouldn’t have to put up with unruly, violent, or dangerous behaviour on flights,’ Copelin said.
‘The AFP will not hesitate to take action against people who engage in criminal behaviour on airplanes, especially where this behaviour has the potential to endanger the safety of passengers, crew or the flight itself.’
More to come…
