Singaporean man nabbed for allegedly faking bomb threat at Bangkok airport

BANGKOK - Thai Immigration Police on Nov 22 arrested a Singaporean man for allegedly falsely reporting an explosive on an aircraft at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. 

The man was arrested at the passenger terminal of the airport in the evening. He was also found to have overstayed his visa by 28 days, police told a press event on Nov 23.

Police said an airport official received an anonymous telephone call at 2.47pm on Nov 21, claiming that there was an explosive on an AirAsia plane departing to Hat Yai, Songkhla province.

Investigators found that flight FD 3114, with 162 passengers and six crew members, was preparing to take off to Hat Yai. The airport promptly stopped the take-off, evacuated the passengers, and brought the plane back to its bay for inspection. 

After finding no suspicious object on the plane or among passengers, officials called off the emergency situation at 7.30pm. The incident severely affected the airport’s flight schedule and passengers’ travel, an airport official said.

Police on Nov 22 tracked down the phone number and found that the caller was still at Don Mueang. They arrested Ho at the passenger terminal at around 7pm.

The suspect reportedly confessed that he made the call because he was under stress due to a family problem. He was sent to Don Mueang police station to be charged with overstaying in the kingdom. 

Police said they are investigating and would consider filing more charges that are applicable. The suspect could also be sued by the airport, the airline, and affected passengers for damages, police added.

Further investigation found that Ho has entered Thailand several times using an Apec card, and that he has no prior criminal record. 

For violating aviation law, the man may face imprisonment up to 15 years, or a fine up to 600,000 baht ($23,400), or both. THE NATION THAILAND/ASIA NEWS NETWORK