Australian police have detained a man of Pakistani descent after he allegedly “claimed of carrying explosives” aboard a Malaysia Airlines aircraft from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, forcing the plane to return to Sydney.
Muhammad Arif Ali, 45, was detained following the flight’s landing, and he has been charged with “one count of making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft.” The individual has also been charged with one count of disobeying the cabin crew’s safety instructions, according to the Australian Federal Police
On Monday afternoon, three hours after taking off from Sydney, Malaysian Airlines flight MH122 was forced to return when a passenger “allegedly became disruptive” during the trip. The maximum punishment for these offenses in Australia is 10 years in prison and a fine of over A$15,000 ($9,730), or over 8 lakh in Indian rupees.
The man was captured in videos asking passengers repeatedly, “Are you a slave of Allah?” while kneeling on a prayer mat in the aisle of the aircraft.
According to a statement from Sydney Airport, the event resulted in the cancellation of thirty-two domestic flights and delays of up to 90 minutes for additional domestic flights. There were no canceled foreign flights.
About Muhammad Arif Ali?
Former Pakistani model and actor Muhammad Arif Ali is the person in the video. According to the report, he completed his studies at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore in 2002 and worked as an architect at a number of companies between that year and 2016 in Karachi and Lahore.
Ali’s Social Media profiles
His open Facebook profile indicates that he is currently residing in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, and his LinkedIn profile mentions his professional history.
On Ali’s Instagram page, which was founded in June 2014, there is a throwback scene with his “College Jeans” cast mates. His coworkers and attorney express optimism for a fair resolution to his “bomb threat case,” speculating that he may be experiencing “mental health issues” and calling for a psychological evaluation.
Additionally, he has a YouTube channel called “Food for Thought” that mostly focuses on his religious viewpoints through a series of brief videos. He most recently uploaded a video on August 12, 2023.
According to the story, some of his colleagues in the entertainment business claim they had lost communication with him, and one person stated they were told “he had developed extremist views.”
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