Teen accused of hijacking a plane faces mental test

Charges have been dropped against a teenager who tried to hijack a Jetstar flight, as a Melbourne court hears he may be suffering from undiagnosed mental disorders.

Police have confirmed they have arrested a 17-year-old boy for trying to board a Jetstar flight at Avalon Airport with a loaded shotgun.

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An alleged shotgun-wielding teenager who is accused of trying to hijack a Jetstar flight with a bomb has been undergoing tests for potential neurological and psychological disorders, a court has heard.

About 160 passengers were sitting on a flight bound for Sydney at Avalon Airport on March 6 when the 17-year-old allegedly boarded the plane and attempted to hijack it.

The boy, who is from the Ballarat region but cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently in custody, charged with six criminal offences.

At a Children’s Court hearing before judge Jack Vandersteen on Tuesday morning, defence lawyers said the boy had been sent to a hospital to undergo “extensive” brain scans to form a view on his mental health.

The court heard the accused had potential psychological and neurological conditions that could result in diagnosis, with a medical professional requesting more assessments in the future.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Commonwealth prosecutors dropped four state-related charges against him.

They include possessing a Category B long armed without being the holder of a license, stealing two 12 gauge shotguns and a rifle, possessing cartridge ammunition, and driving while on a learner license.

Six criminal charges remain, including prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft with the intent to kill, an attempted hijack, assaulting a member of an airline crew, prejudicing the safe ­operation of an aircraft and possessing two or more firearms.

Judge Vandersteen ruled in favour of an Australian Federal Police application to extend an existing suppression order on the matter until October 21.

The accused appeared via audio-visual link from a Melbourne remand centre and only spoke to confirm he understood the orders made.

The suppression order was required to prevent impeding an ­investigation by the joint counter-terrorism team as to whether the incident had any connection to other national security investigations.

The order prevents media outlets from publishing any information they obtain, whether from the court case or by other means, relating to “the identity of (or anything that might tend to identify) 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 media is also prohibited from publishing information relating to “the nature or content of any such communication or ­attempted/­intended communication” and the “nature or content of any documents found in the ­vehicle used by the accused in connection with the events of 6 March 2025.”