by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:45 PM ET, Tue June 6, 2017
A Virgin Australia Airlines flight was forced to evacuate its passengers Tuesday after a threatening note was found in the bathroom of the plane.
According to IndiaToday.com, Virgin Flight VA1174 had just landed at Albury Airport in Australia following a flight from Sydney when a note was found in the bathroom that reportedly contained a single-word threat.
When the 68-seat turboprop landed, New South Wales State Police surrounded the aircraft and passengers were forced to jump from the plane down to the tarmac, with some reportedly being forced to climb out the windows.
Authorities arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly left the note and charged him with sending a document threatening death or grievous bodily harm, as well as giving false information that a person or property was in danger.
Police searched the plane thoroughly but did not discover any sign of explosives. As a result, the incident was deemed a prank and not terrorism-related.
Crew members on the flight have been applauded for their quick response, as they opened the doors to the plane and instructed passengers to get out of the aircraft as quickly as possible to ensure their safety.
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No passengers were injured during the incident, and police had the suspect arrested and all passengers safely on the ground within five minutes of the plane landing.
The male passenger suspected of leaving the note was granted conditional bail and will appear in Albury Local Court on July 4. Following the incident, the aircraft has been returned to service.
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