A foreign man thought it would be a good idea to joke about having explosives at Changi Airport and learns to regret it after he was denied boarding the plane and slapped with a hefty fine.
28-year-old Omar Abdulrahman Aziz a man from Tanzania had a flight on Jan 6, but he decided to joke about having a bomb at the airport. He pleaded guilty yesterday (Jan 25) in court for 1 count under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) for the offence of using threatening words that were likely to cause alarm and he was fined S$5,000.
From Joking at Changi Airport to the court – Nuclear Weapon
According to Zaobao, the man tried to check in at Terminal 1’s counter when the airport staff asked if he has any prohibited items in his baggage. He decided to make a joke about it stating he had a Research Department Explosive (RDX).
The staff asked him what was RDX and he answered: “Nuclear Weapon”
Another airport employee, who overheard the conversation, told the defendant he should not have said it to airport personnel.Â
The luggage of the defendant and his friend were then thoroughly checked, and the two were not allowed to board the plane. The duty manager later notified the airport police.
The man thought that an apology will suffice but he was taken away.
Omar was travelling with his friend and his friend was also implicated and only allowed to leave the country after the Police completed their investigations. However, Omar was not allowed to leave.
In Court, Omar pleaded with the judge for leniency as it was his first offence.