Passengers and crew tackled a teenage boy who allegedly attempted to board a plane armed with a gun in Australia.
Detectives from Victoria Police have charged a 17-year-old after the incident at Avalon Airport, Melbourne’s second airport, on Thursday.
Passengers and crew on board Jetstar flight JQ610 sprung into action when the teenager entered the plane, allegedly armed.
According to Australian media, passengers had to overpower the boy, who was reportedly carrying a shotgun and ammunition and was said to have gained entry through a hole in the security fence around the airport.
It was reported that the teenager had dressed in a high-vis jacket, similar to airport staff.
Barry Clark, one of those reported to have tackled the teenager, told ABC News Australia: “You don’t think, you act. You’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Mr Clark reportedly told the broadcaster he was from “a sporting family so I was quietly confident I could handle him”.
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Police located two bags and a vehicle that allegedly belonged to the teenager.
A bomb response unit was called to the scene.
The teenager, from the nearby city of Ballarat, has now been charged with unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, endangering the safe operation of an aircraft, endangering the safety of an aircraft, having dangerous goods on an aircraft, making a threat to the safety of an aircraft, making a bomb hoax, possession of a firearm and traffic-related offences.
He will appear at a children’s court at a later date.
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A spokesperson for Jetstar told Sky News: “We are working with police and airport authorities as they investigate a security incident at Avalon Airport on Thursday.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority and we can confirm there were no reported injuries.
“We know this would have been a very distressing situation and we are sincerely grateful to the customers who assisted our crew to safely manage the situation.”
