Teenager charged after allegedly boarding plane with a shotgun in Australia
A 17-year-old has been charged in Australia after he allegedly boarded a plane with a shotgun, police said Friday, with authorities praising several people including a former boxer who quickly overpowered him.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was subdued on Thursday afternoon by crew and passengers on a Sydney-bound Jetstar plane before police arrived at the Avalon Airport about 35 miles southwest of Melbourne, Victoria state police said in a statement.
The boy has been charged with multiple offenses including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, orchestrating a bomb hoax and possessing a firearm, police said, adding that they had located two bags and a vehicle thought to belong to him. He was remanded in custody and will appear at a children's court at a later date.
A video released by Australian broadcaster 7News shows the gunman being held in a chokehold at the front of the plane and then pushed to the ground by several people. Police said there were no injuries on the flight, which was carrying about 150 people and was subsequently canceled.
Barry Clark, one of the passengers who subdued the boy, said he had posed as a maintenance worker but became 'agitated' when questioned by a flight attendant at the entrance to the plane.
'I looked up and then within a second I saw the barrel of a shotgun,' Clark told Network 10 in an interview. 'When I saw the complete gun, I said: 'We're in trouble here.''
Clark then saw the gun move toward the flight attendant's chest and decided to do something, he said: 'This is all happening in a matter of seconds.'
Clark, a former professional boxer and sheep shearer, said he sneaked up behind the boy, then pushed the gun and the flight attendant apart to keep her from being hit if the gun went off.
'I then proceeded to do what I had to do and just put him in a bit of a lock, got his hand and twisted it and put it up in his back, threw him to the floor and then put my knee in his back and held him in a position where he couldn't get out,' Clark said.
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Reid said the suspect was acting alone and headed to the plane after breaching the airport security fence.
'No doubt, this would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane,' Reid told reporters on Thursday, adding that the police 'truly commend the bravery' of at least three people who were able to overpower the suspect.
Avalon Airport's chief executive, Ari Suss, said Friday that the airport had reopened and that it was 'fully' supporting the police investigation.
'As part of our ongoing commitment to security, we have implemented further measures across the airport, including within the terminal and surrounding areas,' Suss said in a statement. 'We continue to work closely with authorities to maintain a safe and secure environment for all travelers.'
Jetstar, a subsidiary of the Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways, also said it was cooperating with the investigation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country's airports had strong security.
'This incident is concerning for members of the public. I commend the work of police and aviation officials in responding to it quickly,' Albanese told reporters.
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Daily Mail
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Scottish Sun
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Wales Online
15 hours ago
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Every parent's nightmare as respected teacher exposed as paedophile who preyed on young girls
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The paedophile teacher kept his head bowed as he was jailed. The court today [Friday] heard Clark pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile with the name 'Jamie_jones6968' to send hundreds of explicit messages to girls, persuading some to send sexual images in return. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Judge Simon Berkson said he had no doubt his offending would have continued if he hadn't been stopped after the mother of one victim noticed an unknown man had asked her daughter for a naked photograph and reported him to police. Article continues below It was every parent's nightmare, he said. Simon Clark, 46, of no fixed address, outside Chester Crown Court where he admitted 29 child sex offences The case against Clark began in January, 2023, when police in North Wales were contacted by the concerned parent. Initial enquires suggested that the suspect was living in the Cheshire area, so the case was passed to Cheshire Police. An investigation was subsequently launched by detectives from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Cheshire Police and during their enquiries officers established that Clark was the suspect in the case. A warrant was conducted at his home in May, 2023, and four devices were seized from the address. During subsequent analysis officers discovered that Clark had been posing as a teenager using the Snapchat account. The judge said the truth must have come as a "terrible shock" to the victims and their families. He branded Clark a "dangerous" offender. Clark was given an eight year term, with four more years on licence on his release, for inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity. The remaining jail terms, which are all concurrent, range from 40 months to four months. Clark also received concurrent sentences of eight months, four months and four weeks for making indecent images in categories A, B and C. The judge told the defendant he represented a 'significant risk' to children. Judge Berkson said: 'It is, of course, every parent's worst nightmare, this sort of thing happening to their children. 'Many of the offences involve sexual communication, some involving inciting children to engage in sexual activity. This was well planned and sophisticated criminal behaviour. 'You clearly have a sexual interest from the sexual abuse of children and gain sexual gratification from it.' Clark's barrister, Jeremy Rawson, referred to a "black side" to him. He said: "He has lost everything as a result of this. "There's a black side to his character which is unrestrained and he gave into it and he bitterly regrets it." He went on: "It's a terribly sad case. It's sad for those children whose trust has been abused. It's sad for the parents of those children whose trust has been marred by this man. 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