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On high alert: Indonesian military
officers train their weapons at the entrance of the Boeing 737
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Arrested in his flip-flops: Matt
Christopher Lockley is dragged off a Virgin plane by Indonesian Air Force
soldiers after allegedly triggering a hijack scare on board a Boeing 737 flight
to Bali
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This is the dramatic moment a drunk
passenger is hauled off a Virgin plane by Indonesian troops after he allegedly
sparked a hijack scare when he tried to break into the cockpit.
Looking bewildered and wearing
flip-flops, Matt Christopher Lockley was dragged off the Boeing 737-800 after
the jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Bali.
The 28-year-old Australian is
accused of hammering on the cockpit door, forcing the pilot to send a mayday
message that he feared the plane was being hijacked.
Lockley was handcuffed by the crew
mid-air and placed in a seat at the back of the plane before being
arrested
when the jet touched down at the Indonesian island's Denpasar airport. |
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Taken into custody: Australian
passenger Matt Christopher Lockley (centre) is arrested in Bali by Indonesian
police officers after allegedly triggering a hijack scare on a Virgin Australia
plane
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Detained: Lockley was handcuffed by
the crew mid-air and placed in a seat at the back of the plane before being
arrested when the jet touched down at the Indonesian island's Denpasar airport
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Officials said his identification
included a driving licence issued by the Queensland government, a licence to
perform high-risk work and a Plumbing Industry Council card.
No decision had been made to charge
him, but sources said it was highly likely he would be accused of causing an
affray on an aircraft.
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Fun times:
Matt Lockley (left) drinks Indonesian beer Bintang with an unidentified friend
in a picture posted on Facebook
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The airport was closed for nearly two hours
because of the incident, forcing several flights to be diverted, air force base
commander Col Sugiharto Prapto said.
Mr Prapto said the plane was
directed to park at the end of the runway in case explosives or weapons were
involved. Scores of troops surrounded the jet.
Transport ministry official Herry
Bakti said the alert was triggered when the pilot sent a signal to Bali airport
that the plane had been hijacked en route from Brisbane to Bali at at 2pm local
time (7am BST).
He then followed up with a verbal
confirmation.
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Arrested:
Lockley has been accused of drunkenly hammering on the cockpit door on a Boeing
737-800 en route from Brisbane to Bali, forcing the pilot to make an emergency
landing
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'We then guided the flight to land as they
were flying close to the airport,' he said.
However, a Virgin Australia
spokeswoman said the pilot had entered the code for 'unlawful interference'
which was 'standard operating procedure, based on the threat they perceived at
the time'.
The incident occurred on a public
holiday in Australia when the country remembers its war dead in the ANZAC day
commemorations.
While it is not known whether
Lockley had been drinking before he boarded the plane, it is understood he had
consumed alcohol on the aircraft.
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| The airport was closed for nearly two hours because of the incident,
forcing several flights to be diverted, air force base commander Col
Sugiharto Prapto said |
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On guard: Virgin said the flight
landed safely and that the 137 passengers and seven crew were unharmed
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Under routine precautions, airlines
will not allow passengers who are clearly intoxicated to board a plane.
Earlier, Palani Mohan, a passenger
on a Garuda flight that was about to take off from Bali, earlier described
events when the plane made the emergency landing.
He said: 'The captain of my plane
made an announcement saying we were delayed indefinitely because a hijack was
going on in Bali airport, about 150 metres away from us.
'I saw at least five vehicles
including military-style trucks, filled with men in uniform, rushing towards
the plane.
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Armed and ready: Indonesian military
officers stand guard after the Virgin Australia plane was forced to land
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Heavyweight response: An Indonesian
armoured vehicle arrives on the scene after the airport received reports that
the plane had been hijacked
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'Then the Virgin plane taxied away,
followed by the convoy of security forces. The flight attendant said it's been
taken off to a different part of the airport.
'Bali airport seems to be in
lockdown, we've been told no planes will be departing or arriving. The pilot's
not allowing anyone off our plane.'
But Heru Sudjatmiko, a Virgin
Australia official on the Indonesian resort island, later said: 'This is no
hijacking, this is a miscommunication.
'What happened was there was a drunk
person... too much alcohol consumption caused him to act aggressively.'
The 137 passengers and six crew
members were unharmed.
'The aircraft landed safely and at
no point was the safety of passengers in question,' an airline spokeswoman said
in Australia.
-dailymail
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