Teen armed with shotgun attempts to board plane near Melbourne; tackled by passengers

A teenage boy armed with a shotgun and ammunition was overpowered by passengers and a pilot in Australia on Thursday when he tried to board a flight at a domestic airport near Melbourne.

As per the police, the 17-year-old bypassed security at the Avalon airport by sneaking in through a hole in a security fence. He then proceeded towards a plane that had about 160 passengers aboard, Victoria police superintendent Michael Reid said.

Minor tackled by three passengers

Describing the sequence of events that led to a physical intervention by some of the passengers, the official said the minor was already on the staircase connected to the front of the plane when they realised he was carrying a firearm. The teenager was subsequently overpowered by at least three passengers, Reid told reporters. The boy was eventually taken into custody by the police, the officer added.

Police in touch with counterterrorism investigators

The flight, operated by Qantas's low-budget Jetstar subsidiary, was set to take off for Sydney, as per CBS News. Reid said though the police were in contact with counterterrorism officials, it would be premature to identify a motive behind the teen's action. The police officer said the boy was in possession of a shotgun and "there was ammunition located with the firearm", CBS News said in its report.

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Video shows boy in green vest

Australia's Channel Nine aired a video of the incident. The visual showed a boy sporting a fluorescent green jacket -- resembling the colour of the jackets worn by members of the ground staff -- restrained against the ground by a pilot and a passenger. One of the passengers involved in the melee highlighted the resemblance of the boy's jacket to the one normally worn by a "worker" or a "technician".

Teenager was 'agitated', says eyewitness

Speaking about the moment he spotted the firearm, the passenger, Bill Clark, told ABC News: "All I could do was get the gun out of the way. And then put him in a hold and throw him to the ground until the police came. I've been taught from a boy to be responsible and look after others and we're a sporting family, so I was quietly confident I could handle him." He also said the teenager was seemingly "agitated".

Jetstar's statement

Jetstar said it was cooperating with the police and the airport authorities probing the incident. In a statement, the airline expressed gratitude towards the passengers who helped its crew safely manage the situation.

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FAQs

How did the armed teenager enter the airport undetected?
The police said the armed teenager sneaked into the airport through a hole in a security fence.

Did the police express any possibility about the incident having a terrorism angle?
The police said though they were in contact with counterterrorism officials, it would be premature to identify a motive behind the security breach.