Court suppresses identity of any ‘foreigners or foreign entities’ linked to alleged teen hijacker

Legal twist in Avalon hijacking probe as court slaps a secrecy order on identifying any foreign links, as it’s revealed police took an hour to attend a ­fresh security alert at the airport.

Police are investigating the circumstances around a yellow jerry can that was left near a security fence at Avalon Airport, after a man allegedly armed with a shotgun was apprehended on a passenger plane.

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A Victorian court has ordered that the identity of any “foreigner or foreign entities” linked to the teenager charged over the alleged Jetstar hijacking attempt at Avalon Airport must remain secret.

A suppression order issued by the Children’s Court of Victoria has been put in place until March 21 as Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police continue to investigate the dramatic incident that saw the 17-year-old allegedly enter the plane armed with a shotgun before being wrestled to the ground by a passenger and pilot.

The suppression order prohibits the publication of “the identity of any foreigner or foreign entities that the accused has commun­icated with, or with whom the ­accused attempted to or intended to communicate, in connection with the events of 6 March 2025 that resulted in his arrest”.

The order goes on to suppress “the nature or content of any such communication or ­attempted/intended communication”.

The move comes as it can be revealed that police took an hour to attend a ­security alert at Avalon Airport over the weekend after a jerry can was found abandoned near a fence just two days after the alleged attempted hijacking.

The yellow can, smelling of fuel, was discovered due to ramped-up private security patrols. The new security incident has highlighted the lack of a permanent AFP and Victoria Police presence at the airport near Geelong, which services 800,000 domestic passengers a year.

Victorian police were dispatched from Corio, about 14km away, to investigate the jerry can. After the alleged attempted ­hijacking of the plane carrying 160 passengers, police from Lara had to drive more than 9km to arrest the teenager. A photo obtained by The Australian shows a yellow jerry can placed near a fence at the airport, which services daily Jetstar flights to Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The Australian understands preliminary investigations have discounted a link between the jerry can and the attempted ­hijacking, but the hour-long ­response time from police has heightened staff concerns about security at the airport.

“In the current environment, how can they take an hour to ­arrive?” one staff member said.

A source familiar with the jerry can incident has said initial investigations suggest it was mistakenly left by members of an organisation that rents a hanger at the airport.

The source said Avalon management was comfortable with the police response as private security continued to monitor the jerry can until officers arrived and the incident was not considered an emergency. Victoria Police confirmed officers were called to Avalon at 6.55pm on Saturday and arrived at 7.55pm. “Officers will make inquiries to establish whether the jerry can was left behind by a contractor,” a police spokesman said. “Police prioritise jobs.”

Victoria Police has increased patrols of Avalon since the alleged attempted hijacking. The AFP’s counter-terrorism and special investigations command has joined the investigation into the incident, which has prompted a nationwide review of regional airport security.

The ­Department of Home ­Affairs confirmed it dispatched investigators to Avalon and has asked other regional airports to conduct security audits.

The 17-year-old faced court on Friday charged with a string of ­offences, including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, endangering safe operation of an aircraft and endangering safety of aircraft. Charge sheets released to The Australian by the court show police allege the teenager boarded the plane without authorisation while in possession of a firearm “with the intent to prejudice the safe operation of an aircraft”.

The boy allegedly said, “I’ve got bombs in my bag”, from which, police allege, “it could reasonably be inferred that it is his intention to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of the aircraft or to kill or injury all or any of the persons on board the aircraft”.