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A Canberra man who is accused of causing chaos on-board an international flight when he claimed to have a bomb will remain behind bars for at least another two days while he undergoes mental health assessment.
Muhammad Arif, 45 was dramatically arrested on-board a Malaysia Airlines flight after he allegedly ranted at airline crew on-board the Kuala Lumpur-bound flight and forced the pilot to make a mid-air U-turn.
The plane, with nearly 200 passengers on-board, sat on the tarmac at Sydney International Airport for three hours before Mr Arif was arrested on-board by armed police.
Mr Arif, 45, was charged with not complying with a cabin crew’s safety instruction and making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
When he faced court on Tuesday, Mr Arif refused to leave his cell at Surry Hills Police Station to appear via videolink before magistrate Greg Grogin.
The matter was adjourned until Wednesday when Mr Arif was due to make a bail application.
His lawyer Oussama Elfawal told the court on Wednesday that he was seeking to have Mr Arif assessed by a clinical nurse.
The court has previously been told that Mr Arif was suffering from “serious” mental health issues.
The matter was delayed for the second day running and will now return to court again on Friday.
Police will allege Mr Arif claimed he had a “bomb” in his bag.
Videos posted to social media showed the man arguing with flight attendants and ranting about “Allah”.
“Are you a slave of Allah? Are you? Say it. Say it. Are you a slave of Allah?” he said in one video.
One man who was on-board the flight, Muhammad Zubair said: “Flying #MH122, got diverted back to Sydney due this random idiot.”
The plane landed back in Sydney and was isolated at the end of a runway while the other passengers were moved to another part of the plane.
The plane sat on the tarmac for several hours before police stormed the aircraft and placed Mr Arif in handcuffs.
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Originally published as Man who sparked plane chaos undergoing psychological assessment
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