By Sarah McPhee and Penry Buckley
One-and-a-half hours after taking off from Sydney Airport, an argument erupted on Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 that quickly escalated into a mid-air emergency.
Muhammad Arif was wearing his backpack on his chest when he stood up in the aisle and began clashing with his fellow travellers.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 sits on the runway at Sydney Airport; and (inset) Muhammad Arif, who made a bomb threat.Credit: Nine News, Supplied
Court documents obtained exclusively by this masthead after Arif was sentenced last month reveal what happened onboard the Airbus A330 on the afternoon of August 14, 2023. The plane was carrying 199 people including Arif, who was seated in 21G on a one-way ticket to Pakistan via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Oman.
“A number of passengers witnessed the offender use the word ‘bomb’,” according to the agreed facts.
Arif had chanted, laughed and prayed at various intervals as the aircraft taxied and then took off, prompting cabin crew to allow “concerned passengers” to move to other seats, the facts state.
The 46-year-old was in the midst of a marriage breakdown and had just quit his job as a vehicle patrol security guard in Canberra, according to court documents.
Passengers on board MH122 moved away from Arif.Credit: @chzaib
Two crew members tried to get Arif to sit and stopped him from moving towards the front of the plane. He pointed at one and said “dajjal”, meaning anti-Christ in Arabic, and told them to “move back” and “get lost”.
As the flight attendants tried to guide Arif back to his seat, he had his hand inside his backpack.
“Don’t touch, don’t touch, don’t touch, don’t touch my bag,” he said. “If you love your life, don’t touch my bag. If you love your life, if you love Allah, don’t touch my bag.”
Arif then said “Allahu akbar” a dozen times, and one of the crew placed a hand on the backpack.
“Don’t come near my bag. If you come near my bag, it might explode,” Arif said. “You need to move back. You have no idea what I have in here so move back.”
One passenger told Arif he could “knock him out in two seconds”, to which Arif replied “do it” and added that the man had the heart of a mouse. Arif told a female passenger he was going to count to three.
A crew member – “fearing for the safety of the aircraft” – left to report the incident to the captain.
The captain advised air traffic control “of the offender making threats regarding explosive devices” and turned the plane – which had been over north-west NSW – back to Sydney, landing at 3.47pm.
The plane was stuck on the tarmac for three hours, causing 32 domestic flights to be cancelled and others delayed as the airport moved to single-runway operations.
Between 4.55pm and 5.05pm, Arif stood in the aisle and said: “This was all [a] hoax. This was all acting. I used to be an actor.
“I know I might be going to jail now,” he said. “I don’t care. This was a test from God, for them, for a Muslim to fight a Muslim, to save you guys. And you say bomb, you do bomb, it burns my heart.”
Australian Federal Police (AFP) boarded about 6.30pm and arrested Arif. Bomb disposal officers conducted a sweep of the plane and Arif’s belongings, but no explosive devices were located, the facts state.
At the time, the AFP said: “An emergency response plan was enacted and an evacuation was initiated once it was deemed safe for passengers and crew.”
Arif did not respond to police interview questions and was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment. The next morning, he was deemed “fit” for custody, where he would spend four months until he was granted bail.
In the hours before the incident, Arif had handed a colleague his letter of resignation, stating “he was a free man, he didn’t have any responsibilities, and he wanted to enjoy life”. He mentioned something had happened with his family and “appeared stressed and was crying”.
Arif bought a $51 bus ticket to Sydney, then purchased a plane ticket from Flight Centre inside the international airport. He also withdrew $6000 from an ATM.
Arif “paced back and forth for about one hour” before boarding at gate 50 and sitting with his backpack on his lap. During final checks, he was told if he did not put his bag in the overhead locker, he would be unable to fly.
Passengers disembarked from Malaysia Airlines flight MH122.Credit: @chzaib/@jawadmnazir
Arif pleaded guilty to making a false statement about a plan, proposal, attempt, conspiracy or threat to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of the aircraft.
Judge David Barrow imposed a 14-month term of imprisonment to be served as an intensive correction order in the community.
Under the order, expiring in February 2026, Arif must not reoffend and must comply with directions regarding his mental health treatment, including the advice of a psychiatrist.
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