Passengers restrain man who claimed to have explosives, tried to break into cockpit of Malaysian Airlines flight leaving Melbourne

A 25-year-old man was restrained by passengers after claiming to be carrying a bomb and attempting to hijack Malaysian Airlines flight MH128, which was travelling from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur, by forcing his way into the cockpit of the plane. 

Passengers on board said that the man had attacked an air hostess minutes before the flight was scheduled for take-off at around 11.11pm on Wednesday (May 31), reports Daily Mail Online.

The man was also heard shouting, “I’m going to blow up this plane.”

Jumping to the hostess rescue, passengers confronted the suspect and tackled him to the ground, after which the pilot made an u-turn back to Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. 

Photos taken inside the plane showed suspect being restrained with a pair of makeshift handcuffs.

Superintendent Tony Langdon said that the suspect was an Australian citizen from Dandenong, Melbourne, was currently being held for questioning by the police.