Man fined S$3,500 after Instagram bomb joke delays Etihad flight at Changi Airport
A 22-year-old Singaporean man was arrested after posting an Instagram story joking about blowing up a plane at Changi Airport, prompting the aircraft to be recalled from the runway.
Azim Shah Abubakar Shah had boarded Etihad Airways Flight EY499 bound for Abu Dhabi on the evening of 14 Feb.
At about 6.55pm, while the plane was waiting for take-off, he uploaded an Instagram story saying:
No one here knows I’m gonna blow the plane up.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Meta’s law-enforcement team detected the post about 25 minutes later and alerted the police at 7.20pm, providing Azim’s phone number and IP address.
Investigators quickly determined that he was onboard the Etihad aircraft, which was still on the runway.
The plane was instructed to return to Terminal 2, where Azim was escorted off and his luggage searched.
He admitted to making the post, claiming it was meant as a joke, and was arrested shortly after midnight on 15 Feb.
Flight delayed more than 2 hours
In court on 6 Oct, Azim pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening communication likely to cause alarm.
Prosecutors noted that his actions caused inconvenience to crew and passengers, and delayed the flight’s departure until about 9.26pm, more than two hours later.
Etihad Airways also incurred a S$1,750 late-departure payment to Changi Airport.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
While acknowledging Azim’s youth, early plea, and clean record, the prosecution sought a S$4,000 fine, arguing that the penalty should reflect the costs and resources his act had triggered.
The offence carries a maximum fine of S$5,000.
Post visible to only 16 friends
Defence lawyer Mohammad Shafiq said his client, a national serviceman with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, did not anticipate the alarm his message would cause as only 16 of his friends could view it.
He described it as a misguided joke and asked for a S$1,000 fine, noting Azim’s remorse and cooperation.
The prosecution countered that such a sum would be insufficient, as it would not even cover the airline’s late-departure charge.
The court eventually imposed a S$3,500 fine, which Azim paid in full.
Also read: Couple from China emails bomb threat to airline in M’sia after failing to change flight seats
Couple from China emails bomb threat to airline in M’sia after failing to change flight seats
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Changi Airport on Facebook, for illustration purposes only.
