Fresh charges for teen accused of boarding Jetstar flight with rifle, fake bomb
A Victorian teenager accused of boarding a Jetstar plane at Avalon Airport armed with a long-arm firearm and a fake bomb faces a string of fresh federal charges.
A children’s court on Friday heard Australian Federal Police counter-terrorism officers were investigating the major security breach and last week filed several new charges against the 17-year-old. The boy – who cannot be identified due to his age – allegedly boarded the plane when armed and was overpowered by a pilot and passengers on March 6.
A still from footage of the boy being restrained by a Jetstar worker, passenger Barry Clark and the pilot.Credit: Defina
The nature of the new charges was not revealed during Friday’s hearing and the teenager, who has been on remand since the incident, was not required to appear in court in person or via video link.
His lawyer did not apply for bail, and the 17-year-old was remanded to return to court in April.
Police believe the boy allegedly climbed through a hole in the airport’s security fence before making his way on foot to the Sydney-bound Jetstar flight JQ610 at Avalon Airport on March 6.
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Those on board noticed the barrel of a shotgun while the teenager was talking to a flight attendant and rushed to tackle the boy, who allegedly claimed, “I’ve got bombs in my bag.”
Staff and passengers on the flight, which was carrying about 150 people, restrained the boy until police arrived from the nearby town of Lara to arrest him.
The boy was initially charged with 12 offences over the incident, including boarding a plane without authorisation in possession of a firearm with the intent of prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft, endangering the safety of the aircraft, and possessing dangerous goods onboard a plane. He has also been charged with driving unsupervised while on a learner’s permit.
