This is a developing story, so it’s possible more details will emerge shortly, but from reports, it sounds like something could have gone very wrong on a flight from Australia to Kuala Lumpur.
Shortly after takeoff, a man apparently began running down the aisle of the plane while screaming, and passengers were forced to intervene.
Details via NBC News:
David Henderson, a passenger who had intended to fly home to Bangkok, Thailand, told NBC News that the plane was still ascending after takeoff when a male passenger began running up and down the aisle from the back of the plane.
The man, who was screaming as he ran, was restrained by other passengers, Henderson said. The captain announced that the plane would be returning to the airport, where passengers remained on board for more than an hour, he said.
“You can’t control crazy people,” Henderson said.
Drew Ambrose, a reporter for Al Jazeera who was also on board, told the Australian television network ABC that the man was carrying what appeared to be an electronic device as he ran back and forth.
Ambrose said about a half-dozen passengers stopped the man as he ran back toward the rear of the plane and restrained him with seat belts.
Thanks to the passengers actions, nothing worse than a delay occurred, and though it’s possible this was always going to end in harmless fashion, it’s also sadly possible that something very bad could have happened, even if it ended up short of a flight hijacking. After all, we saw all too recently the dangers in attempting to intervene when strangers act in threatening ways.
[NBC News]
