S'porean man, 22, posts bomb hoax 'joke' on Instagram as plane about to take off at Changi Airport, gets fined

A 22-year-old Singaporean man on a flight departing Changi Airport for Abu Dhabi on Feb. 14 posted an Instagram story with the message, "No one here know I'm gonna blow the plane up".

After the post was flagged up by Meta, the flight was recalled to Changi Airport's Terminal 2, and was delayed by two-and-a-half hours.

When questioned, the man, Azim Shah Bin Abubakar Shah, said it was a joke.

He was fined S$3,500 in court on Oct. 6.

It was a joke: Man

Court documents seen by Mothership showed that on Feb. 14 at around 7:20pm, police received a report from a member of Meta’s law enforcement team regarding the post.

Azim's mobile number and IP address were also provided.

Police traced the message to Azim and confirmed that he was onboard an Etihad Airways flight bound for Abu Dhabi, which was taxiing on the runway at Changi Airport at the time.

Police then recalled the flight to Terminal 2 before it could take off, and Azim was escorted from the plane to have his luggage searched.

He was found to have no means of carrying out his threat, as no threat items were found in his possession, police said in a release.

When questioned, Azim confessed to posting the Instagram story at around 6:55pm that day, but said it was a joke.

Only 16 of his friends were able to view the story.

Flight delayed due to bomb hoax

Azim was arrested at 12:10am and released shortly after on bail.

Due to Azim's actions, the flight was delayed by about two-and-a-half hours, and was only allowed to depart at 9:26pm.

Etihad Airways also had to pay a late departure charge of S$1,750 to Changi Airport.

Fined S$3,500

On Oct. 6, Azim pleaded guilty to one charge of making a threatening communication likely to cause alarm.

The prosecutor asked for a fine of S$4,000 for Azim, arguing that his actions resulted in "substantial consequences".

These included inconvenience to the crew and other passengers, the late departure charge, and resources expended to trace him and verify the bomb threat, said the prosecutor.

Nevertheless, the prosecutor noted that Azim is of a relatively young age, does not have prior criminal records and "made the post in jest".

In mitigation, Azim’s lawyer asked for a fine of S$1,000, saying that he is remorseful for his actions, The Straits Times reported.

The lawyer also said Azim intends to continue his national service and further his studies, ST reported.

On Oct. 6, the judge fined Azim S$3,500.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News & Changi Airport/Facebook