Hoax threat to AI flight: Man found guilty

Stop the plane from leaving Changi Airport now.A terrorist is going to make it crash and kill everyone on board.
This was the chilling threat made by an anonymous caller on 6 Nov last year regarding an Air India flight to New Delhi.
Thrice the caller delivered the threat.
Police immediately stopped the plane, the luggage was re-screened and the 73 passengers and crew members were interviewed.
The threats turned out to be a hoax and the plane was allowed to leave after nearly four hours.
The caller was Nanda Sudhir Kumar, 53, a Canadian who was on holiday then.
Yesterday, after a six-day trial which started in mid-April, District Judge Victor Yeo found Nanda guilty of making the three hoax calls. He is to be sentenced next Monday.
Nanda, who faced three charges under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, faces up to five years in jail, a fine up to $100,000 or both.
According to court papers, Nanda made the first threat to the Police Combined Operation Room at 3.17pm on 6 Nov, from a public phone in the Terminal 1 arrival hall.
He had gone to the airport to check on the flight schedule, especially for AI481 to Delhi.
He told the operator that the flight, which was to leave at 3.30pm, had to be stopped immediately to prevent a crash by a terrorist on board.
Nanda then took the MRT to the Singapore Expo, where he made the same threat from a public phone near Hall 3 at around 3.50pm.
The last threat was made at 4.38pm from a public phone at Block 12, Haig Road, where he had travelled to by bus.
In the last call, Nanda identified himself as the one behind the first two calls. He said: 'Okay, I phone two times already... one bad guy terrorist inside the plane... the plane will be crashed, did you stop the plane or not?'
31/05/07 Electric New Paper, Singapore

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Categories: Foreign May 2007, Safety May 2007