The passengers were allegedly “headbutting and spitting” at crew members amid attempts to restrain them on Friday, Sept. 11
Credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Two men were restrained after allegedly making violent threats and claiming to have a gun on a flight bound for the Middle East
- Witnesses described the men as aggressive, restless, and disruptive, with crew members enduring physical abuse during the ordeal
- The men were arrested upon landing in Doha and handed over to local authorities for further investigation
Two Virgin Australia passengers had to be cuffed to their seats after allegedly making threats on a flight bound for the Middle East.
At around 4 p.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 11, a VA7 flight operated by Qatar Airways departed from Melbourne Airport in Australia, regional news outlets the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), 7 News and 9 News reported.
Authorities arrested two men upon arrival in Doha, Qatar, as they allegedly made violent threats towards passengers and crew during the flight, including that they had a gun. A woman, who has not been identified publicly, told the SMH that the men appeared “extremely agitated and restless” from the moment they boarded the aircraft.
“They were repeatedly getting in and out of their seats, moving around the cabin and into my personal space, and touching or moving my belongings,” she said, per the outlet.
Credit: Getty
“They were also repeatedly rummaging through their luggage and saying they were looking for items they had apparently misplaced,” she added.
The situation escalated about six hours before the plane was due to land as the men began to argue and fight.
Footage posted on Instagram by 3AW Drive host Jacqui Felgate shows crew members struggling with the men during the “terrifying” ordeal.
“Very scary, these guys were completely agitated and aggressive,” one witness told Felgate. “Really big props to the Qatar flight attendants they were hands on for about 10 hours straight and I saw a couple of them get physically abused. They really couldn’t do too much more.
“Only thing would love to understand is if these people are coming back into Australia – given the language they were screaming about wanting hurt and shoot people, they really shouldn’t be allowed back in… I have videos, but not the greatest, big round of applause for the Doha police when they arrived.”
Another witness alleged to Felgate that the men were “headbutting and spitting” on crew members. Each man reportedly had to be restrained by at least six people as the situation escalated.
“Terrifying and disgraceful what the poor flight attendants had to deal with,” the witness told Felgate.
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Qatar Airways addressed the incident in a statement to PEOPLE.
“We can confirm that two male passengers were involved in a physical altercation on board flight VA7 from Melbourne to Doha on Friday, operated by Qatar Airways,” the statement said. “Both passengers were restrained and, upon arrival in Doha, were handed over to local authorities.
“The safety and wellbeing of our crew and passengers remain our highest priority,” Qatar Airways concluded.
Virgin Australia, Melbourne Airport and Hamad International Airport in Doha did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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