It’s hard to draw conclusions from a 23-second clip. And now, there are two opposing narratives vying to explain the latest viral scandal in Indonesia.
To recap: on Oct. 11, a passenger on Turkish Airlines flight TK56 — later revealed to be an Indonesian pilot — was apprehended after he allegedly attacked cabin crew members. The incident prompted the plane, which was bound for Jakarta from Istanbul, to divert to Medan’s Kualanamu Airport, where the alleged culprit was cuffed and wheeled away by the authorities.
Footage of the cabin disturbance went viral online, showing a male passenger taking swings at the flight’s cabin crew. One attendant can be seen kicking the passenger to push him back.
In the few days since, we have heard differing accounts of what triggered the passenger’s violent outburst onboard flight TK56.
What they said
The Jakarta Metro Police, relaying testimony from the Turkish Airlines office in Indonesia, said the passenger — a 48-year-old Indonesian pilot for local carrier Batik Air, who goes by the initials MJ — was inebriated and behaving erratically during the flight. He allegedly attacked a cabin crew member first after he was told to calm down.
Other cabin crew members then joined in to contain MJ, as captured in the viral clip.
One fellow passenger said he sat close to MJ and wrote about the incident on social media. His account was shared widely after a repost by filmmaker Witra Asliga.
While this passenger, who calls himself Adit, said he slept through much of the flight and did not see whether or not MJ had too much to drink, he did wake up some three hours before the scheduled Jakarta arrival time to commotion in the cabin. Adit said two male cabin crew members were scolding MJ over a dispute with other passengers, who moved away from him to occupy other seats.
After the second meal of the flight was served, Adit said MJ tried to pick fights with other passengers and even threatened to toss his cup of hot tea at someone sitting behind him. Adit then called cabin crew for help, which angered MJ and prompted him to throw a piece of bread at Adit’s face.
Three male cabin crew members then arrived to handle MJ, as seen in the video. At one point, Adit said MJ somehow managed to bite one of the attendants’ fingers.
MJ then calmed down and asked for a bottle of water. When he received it, he sprayed it on people in his vicinity. This apparently broke the camel’s back, as other passengers who were fed up with him ganged up on MJ before he was cuffed to the seat.
Before the plane made its diverted landing in Medan, Adit said the cuffed MJ was delirious and at one point claimed that he was sent by Islam’s Holy Prophet Muhammad.
What he said
The religion angle is crucial to MJ’s defense.
After the plane touched down in Medan, MJ was pictured cuffed and in a wheelchair as he was placed under police custody.
Photos of his testimony, as written in the police’s official investigation report (BAP), also went viral. In it, MJ said he had just performed his prayers in the plane’s galley when he returned to find a female passenger had stowed her dog in the cabin. While he was alarmed at first, he said he became livid when the dog licked him.
In Islam, a dog’s saliva causes one to be impure and unable to perform the mandatory prayers and other forms of worship. The area of the body that is exposed to dog saliva must be purified with water mixed with soil.
MJ, who made it known that he is an ex-cop in his testimony, said he then directed his outrage towards the cabin crew and demanded that they present to him the written regulations allowing pets inside the cabin. He then said one attendant, named Mustafa, pushed him and punched him first in the heat of the moment. They then brawled, only for other attendants to come and separate them.
In case you’re wondering, Turkish Airlines does allow pets to be carried inside the cabin on select flights for a fee.
After the first scuffle, MJ said a female passenger suffered a heart attack and he shouted for a doctor to help her. At this point, he said Mustafa was not satisfied and attacked him again, forcing him to defend himself. Other passengers joined in, and MJ said one business class passenger attacked him with a bread knife, causing a deep cut on his face.
MJ was then cuffed to his seat, where he said he remained calm until the plane landed in Medan. He claims he did not know that the flight was diverted because of him, and said that he thought it was a medical emergency to tend to the woman who suffered a heart attack.
MJ said one Indonesian military member who sat behind him could confirm his version of events.
MJ’s wife and colleagues have supported his claims, saying that the pilot doesn’t drink alcohol and that he was attacked first by the flight attendants.
Curiously, the police in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, who apprehended MJ said no traces of alcohol were found in his urine sample.
MJ flew home to Jakarta on Oct. 13 and has not been slapped with any criminal charges as of this article’s publication. Amid the convoluted drama, it seems this scandal is only beginning.
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