An Indian man was prevented from boarding a flight and pulled into custody for questioning on Monday at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport after reportedly making the comment, “She look bomb.”
Just like you don’t compliment someone by calling them “fire” at a crowded movie theater for fear of getting taken out of context and inciting a scare, you never, ever casually throw the word “bomb” around at an airport.
Because, unfortunately for the Indian man who made the comment, Shyamsukha Aditya, an AVSEC officer overheard the word “bomb,” when it was said at the screening checkpoint of Bali airport’s international terminal.
Aditya was pulled into custody for questioning and not allowed to board his flight, AirAsia QZ 510.
Head of Ngurah Rai Airport Authority Region IV, Class I, Herson, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
“As a result of this passenger’s remarks, the AVSEC officers immediately secured him and took him to the International Terminal’s level three Departures security post for further questioning,” Herson said, as quoted by Bali Post.
The Consulate General of India has gotten involved and Aditya is still under investigation. It’s believed that Aditya was only “joking” and talking about a woman he saw, but such remarks are taken very seriously with full security measures, says Herson.
“If the comment really only was a joke, he will be released under guarantee by the Indian Consulate General,” Herson concluded.
“Bomb jokes” happen more often in Bali than you would think.
A passenger was pulled off a Garuda Indonesia flight from Papuan city Timika to Denpasar in July 2017 when he “joked” that his bag was so heavy because of a bomb.
And in March 2017, a Saudi man was forced off a Lion Air flight in Bali before takeoff—the tasteless joke even caused delays at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport.
In January 2016, a man flying from Makassar to Bali was arrested before he even boarded for trying to make a bomb joke with an airport security officer—turns out the ‘jokester’ was a policeman.
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