Armed man held while trying to board plane at Suvarnabhumi tarmac

Apart from the iron axe, airport security officers also found a custom-made pistol, a pair of scissors and an amphetamine tablet on him. - The Nation

BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): A Thai man, 34, has been arrested after riding a motorcycle into a restricted Suvarnabhumi Airport zone on Tuesday (May 3), and then using an axe to destroy glass doors when he was prevented from boarding an empty Bangkok Airways plane.

Airport director Kittiphong Kittikhajorn said on Tuesday the incident took place around 11.50am, when security guards were alerted that the man had ridden from parking lot number 3 into a restricted area.

“As the man tried to enter a Bangkok Airways plane that had just unloaded passengers at a gate leading to Control Post 3 connected to Concord A, officials immediately locked the gate to trap the trespasser.

"But he used an axe to smash two glass doors in an attempt to escape and was arrested shortly after,” Kittiphong said.

He added that the man seemed to be under the influence of some sort of substance when he was nabbed.

Apart from the iron axe, airport security officers also found a custom-made pistol, a pair of scissors and an amphetamine tablet on him.

One of the security guards suffered a minor injury while trying to arrest the man, but the incident did not affect flight operations at the airport, thanks to security officers who responded to the emergency promptly, the airport director said.

The trespasser was handed over to the police.

Kittiphong added that he would be charged with violating the 1978 Act on Certain Offences Against Air Navigation, which has a maximum punishment of life or death, and a fine of up to 800,000 baht.

The other charges include trespassing into an airport’s restricted area, destroying property, possessing and consuming drugs.

The airport is now investigating how the man managed to evade its security measures.