A 37-year-old male foreign national was arrested earlier this morning for allegedly making a bomb threat on board an SIA flight from San Francisco to Singapore, according to The Straits Times.
The SIA flight, SQ33, left San Francisco on 26 September at about 10.26pm, and was escorted to Changi Airport by two RSAF fighter jets, before landing at about 5.50am this morning.
The Singapore Police Force was also alerted to the alleged bomb threat earlier this morning (28 September) at about 2.40am.
An SIA spokesperson said that the plane was then taxied to a remote area after landing, for security checks.
MINDEF’s statement on Facebook
Earlier this morning, the Singapore Police Force was informed of a bomb threat on board Singapore Airlines flight #SQ33 from San Francisco to Singapore. Preliminary investigations indicate that a 37-year-old male passenger had allegedly claimed that there was a bomb in a hand-carry bag, and had assaulted the crew.
The SAF and SPF were mobilised immediately. The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s F-16C/Ds escorted the aircraft to safety at Changi Airport, and teams from The Singapore Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives Defence Group and Airport Police Division were on site to verify the claims. The threat was subsequently verified to be false, and the suspicious person has been arrested. Police investigations are ongoing.
MINDEF and Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore work closely round the clock to ensure the safety of our country and people, and we will treat every threat seriously. We thank our teams for their professionalism and dedication to keeping Singapore safe.