Australian passenger arrested over bomb threat, investigations underway

SINGAPORE: A Scoot flight en route to Perth took an abrupt U-turn back to Singapore following a bomb threat on Thursday (Oct 12), resulting in the arrest of a 30-year-old Australian man for criminal intimidation.

Flight TR16, which departed Singapore at 4.11pm, was approximately 30 minutes into its journey, above Indonesia’s Bangka Island, when a decision was made to revert to Singapore. Police reports stated they were alerted to the bomb threat around 4.55pm.

The aircraft landed safely at Changi Airport by 6.26pm, escorted by two F-15SG fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) after holding over the South China Sea east of Malaysia for nearly 50 minutes, according to flight tracking data.

Upon landing, thorough security checks were conducted by the police before the aforementioned passenger was arrested.

“The police take security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally cause public alarm,” the police force declared in a statement.

Scoot, a low-cost airline, expressed regret over the incident and is actively cooperating with the authorities during the ongoing investigations.

“Scoot sincerely apologises for the disruption and inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority, and we will continue to provide assistance to our customers,” the airline conveyed in a statement to the media.

The RSAF substantiated their activation of two fighter jets via a Facebook post, elucidating that it was in response to the “suspected bomb threat.”

Meanwhile, during the episode, several other flights, including Singapore Airlines SQ331 from Paris, United Airlines UA29 from San Francisco, and IndiGo 6E1013 from New Delhi, were compelled into holding patterns over the Riau Islands but commenced their landings shortly after TR16’s safe touchdown.

It is evident that while Scoot has prioritized cooperating with authorities, further details regarding the incident remain under wraps due to the sensitivity of the security matter.

Passengers aboard the flight and those affected by the subsequent disruptions are being assisted and supported.