SINGAPORE: While waiting for take-off on a plane that was departing Singapore for Abu Dhabi, a young man posted on his Instagram account: “No one here knows I’m gonna blow the plane up.”
Azim Shah Abubakar Shah, 22, later said it was a joke, but the damage was done as the message caused the flight to be recalled from the runway and delayed for over two hours.
On Oct 6, Azim was fined S$3,500 (US$2,708) after he pleaded guilty to one count of making threatening communication likely to cause alarm.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh told the court that Azim posted the Instagram story with the bomb threat on Feb 14 at about 6.55pm. It could be viewed by only 16 of his friends.
At about 7.20pm, the police received information from a law enforcement team member at Meta, the company that owns Instagram, reporting that he had detected Azim’s threat.
The police traced the message to Azim and determined that he was on board Etihad Airways Flight EY499 bound for Abu Dhabi and the plane was still on the runway at Changi Airport.
The flight was recalled to Terminal 2, while Azim was escorted from the plane and his luggage searched. He was placed under arrest on Feb 15 at about 12.10am.
EY499 was allowed to depart at about 9.26pm. The delay resulted in the airline incurring a late departure payment of S$1,750 to Changi Airport.
Asking for a S$4,000 fine for the offence, which draws a maximum penalty of S$5,000, DPP Koh said there were substantial consequences that resulted from Azim’s actions.
These included inconvenience caused to the crew and passengers, the late departure charge and resources expended to verify the bomb threat, said DPP Koh.
The prosecution also considered that Azim is relatively young and has no past criminal record.
In mitigation, Azim’s lawyer, Mohammad Shafiq, asked for a fine of S$1,000, but DPP Koh said this was inadequate as the penalty given should adequately reflect the cost of his actions to others.
The lawyer added that Azim is remorseful and intends to continue his national service and further studies. - The Straits Times/ANN
