A plane full of passengers was evacuated after a tourist made an apparent fake bomb threat at a Bangkok airport, local reports say. An AirAsia flight saw 162 passengers and six crew members deplaned on Thursday, 21 November after the airport received an anonymous call claiming there was an explosive on the aircraft, police said at a press conference, The Nation reported. A Singapore man was reportedly arrested a day later after police traced the phone number used for the threat and found him at Don Mueang Airport’s passenger terminal.
The suspect reportedly admitted to making the call at around 2.47pm local time and said his motivation was stress over a family problem, the publication said. He was sent to the Don Mueang police station and charged with overstaying his visa in Thailand by 28 days, with police adding that they are still investigating and could file more charges where applicable.
The plane that was due to leave Bangkok for Hat Yai City in the Songkhla province, was returned to a bay for thorough inspection. After a search of the aircraft and passengers, authorities reportedly found no suspicious items and the emergency was called off later in the day. Flight FD3114 from Bangkok to Hat Yai was supposed to take off at 3.
45pm but did not end up leaving until just after 8pm, causing an almost four-hour delay to the journey that should only take one hour, data from FlightRadar shows. The incident comes after a string of apparent bomb hoaxes that disrupted journeys f.