The Malaysian Insight

PASSENGERS on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH128 finally arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport early today, with many lauding the quick action of flight crew and several passengers in diffusing their tense 90-minute ordeal of being grounded in Melbourne.

The plane was forced to return to Tullamarine Airport barely 30minutes after it took off for Kuala Lumpur late Wednesday when a passenger claiming to have explosives tried to enter the cockpit.

Navin Ambrous, a Malaysian who was on the plane back home to Kuala Lumpur with his wife and three-year-old daughter, said most passengers thought the plane was returning to Melbourne because of a medical emergency.

 

“I saw the suspect holding a big black item which looked like ia wireless speaker as he was walking to the cockpit.

“That was when it hit me that something is going on,” said Navin, who works as a public relations agent in Australia.

 

 

Sri Lankan national Manodh Marks,  25, was charged at the Melbourne magistrate’s court yesterday over an alleged attempt to enter the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 moments after take-off.

Marks was reportedly just released from psychiatric care before he boarded the flight.

Another passenger Ang Teck Huat, who was returning home after visiting his children in Melbourne, said the situation in the plane was “terrifying” and extremely tense after it became clear what the suspect had tried to do.

“Around six to seven individuals held him down as he was very strong. He could not move for 30 minutes when we subdued him,” said the 56-year-old from Klang.

He said many passengers broke into tears as they waited for almost two hours on the tarmac for Australian authorities to enter the plane.

The incident had resulted in flight disruptions as the airport was locked down for several hours.

Australian national Emerson Tan, who was one of the passengers who helped to subdue the suspect, said crew members and several other passengers were quick to act to subdue the suspect.

“The man decided to bash on the door (of the cockpit) and wanted to speak to the pilot while making some threats.

“He then went to the back of the plane and that was when everybody jumped on him.

“I have never seen such a huge pile of people on a person before, so I backed off as the suspect obviously was not able to go anywhere,” said Tan.

Flight MH128 arrived at KLIA at 2.30am this morning. – June 2, 2017.