A Malaysian Airlines flight was forced to return to Sydney after a Pakistani-origin man threatened to blow up the flight with the explosives he claimed to carry.
In the purported video of the incident, apparently shot by a fellow flyer, the 45-year-old former Pakistani actor and model was seen getting up and identifying himself as “Muhammad Arif, a slave of Allah.” Ignoring the instructions of the cabin crew, he then asked other passengers if they were a “slave of Allah.”
Arif was detained by officials and charged with making false threats about damaging the aircraft.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of more than 15,000 Australian dollars ($7,300) respectively.
Defence lawyer Mostafa Daoudie told Grogin that Arif had “serious mental issues” and was “not in the right state of mind.”
The airliner left Sydney on Monday with 199 passengers and 12 crew on a scheduled eight-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.