A Brisbane man is set to appear in Downing Centre Local Court today (5 March 2025) after allegedly making a threatening statement about a bomb while onboard an aircraft and travelling under a false name.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers at Sydney Airport responded to an incident on 14 January 2025, when the 44-year-old man boarded a flight to Brisbane. Before take-off, he was allegedly speaking on a mobile phone and made reference to a bomb.
Officers removed him from the plane and later discovered he had been travelling under a fake identity. A thorough search of the aircraft confirmed there was no actual bomb threat.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden warned that threats to aviation security, whether overt or overheard, would not be tolerated.
“Travelling on an aircraft should be a safe experience for passengers and airline crew alike,” Det Supt Blunden said.
“The AFP will continue to work closely with airline partners to deal with any behaviour that interferes with aviation security.”
The man was served a court attendance notice that day and charged with:
- Taking a constitutional flight with a ticket obtained with false identity information, contrary to section 376.4(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth) (maximum penalty: one year imprisonment).
- Threatening aviation security, contrary to section 9.01(1) of the Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 (Cth) (maximum penalty: $16,500 fine).
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