Stabbings on QF Domestic Flight

[Guest M. McRae]

Stabbings on Australian plane

Two flight attendants are being treated in hospital after being attacked by a man with a sharpened wooden implement on board a domestic flight in Australia.

Australian Transport Minister John Anderson said that the man, in his 40s, had headed towards the cockpit and threatened to crash the plane.

Mr Anderson said that although the incident appeared to be have been premeditated, "there's no evidence it was an act of terrorism".

The incident took place on board Qantas Flight 1737, shortly after it left Melbourne at about 1450 local time (0450 GMT).

Geoff Dixon, chief executive of Qantas, said that the man was armed with two, small wooden stakes around 15 cm (5.9 inches) long.

Federal police said the man had been taken into custody.

The plane, which was bound for Launceston in Tasmania, returned immediately to Melbourne after the incident.

Mr Dixon said one passenger also suffered a minor injury. There were reports that some passengers helped to restrain the man.

One of the passengers who helped, Keith Charlton, told Sky News that after the incident, "naturally, there was a lot of discussion going on and people were in varying stages of disbelief, but calm really remained throughout the aircraft."

"There were one or two people who were extremely angry about it," he added.

Mr Anderson said he understood that there were no air marshals on board this particular flight. Mr Dixon confirmed that the cockpit door was locked.

Serious condition

The injured flight attendants - a man in his late 30s and a woman in her 20s - are said to be in a serious but stable condition. The woman suffered cuts to the face, and her male colleague was cut on the back of the head.

A BBC correspondent says security on Australian flights has been substantially tightened in the wake of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

There are now extensive screenings at domestic departure gates, and all sharp implements are prohibited.

Mr Anderson pointed out that the man's weapon could not have been picked up by metal detectors, and that he understood that he had the implement on his person.

He said the oversight was a "lesson about unforeseen tools being used".

The transport minister said a full inquiry would ensue. "We'll leave no stone unturned, plainly we don't want to see a repeat of this," he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/2945900.stm

Published: 2003/05/29 08:49:34 GMT