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A video of the man’s outburst as a cabin crew member is standing nearby, presumably trying to calm him down, has gone viral.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, one passenger on the flight said at one point, the man also put his hands in his backpack and made veiled threats about being in possession of something dangerous.
However, it is believed that the crew inspected the backpack and its contents and found nothing suspicious or dangerous.
As a precaution, the pilot decided to turn the Airbus A330 aircraft back to Sydney.
The plane landed in an isolated end of one of the airport’s runways just before 4pm local time. Emergency vehicles quickly surrounded the plane.
Passengers on the plane who were near the passenger concerned, had earlier been moved to another part of the aircraft and were evacuated to safety.
One passenger was quoted as saying that the flight to KL was delayed by two hours.
On social media, some passengers onboard the flight posted videos of the incident.
“#Sydney Airport is suffering at the hands of this lunatic as he has taken #MH122 hostage. Praying for everyone’s safety and well-being,” said Jawad Nazir in a tweet.
In a statement, Malaysia Airlines confirmed that the aircraft’s pilot made a decision to turn the plane back.
It said the flight, carrying 194 passengers and five crew members landed safely in Sydney.
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