A 34-year-old man who went smashy-smashy with an axe at Suvarnabhumi Airport said he did so at the behest of voices in his head after swallowing a fistful of speed.
Wachara Khambutr, 34 of Loei province, faces the death penalty after using the axe to smash a glass door and pointing a fake pistol at airport security guards. Because of the voices, he would later tell police.
He has been slapped with at least seven charges including trespassing, damaging property, possession and use of drugs, and carrying weapons that threatened airport safety, according to airport police Col. Jirawat Piampinset. If convicted, he faces life behind bars. The aviation safety charge qualifies for the death penalty.
The police offered no assessment of Wachara’s mental health.
Wachara’s misadventure kicked off around noon Tuesday when he rode a motorbike into a restricted airport area and went all Metal Gear Solid, sneaking around aircraft bay No. 101 while clutching a 50-centimeter steel axe. A security guard saw him and gave pursuit.
The man evaded capture and tried to enter a passenger terminal. He gained access to a footbridge linked to Gate 3A and used the ax to smash a glass door. He was injured by broken glass shards and beset by security guards, Jirawat said.
After coming to his senses, he told police that it all began the night before with the eight capsules of meth. After that, he said someone told him to rob a plane using a replica pistol.
