Terror plot to hijack Australian plane and fly to hostile Middle East country revealed as man arrested

A terrorist planned to hijack a commercial jet at an Australian airport and demand it be flown to a hostile Middle Eastern nation, it has been revealed by The Australian.

On Friday, a report said the Australian Federal Police and a counter-terrorism taskforce is investigating the thwarted plan.

An arrest has been made with assurances there is no ongoing threat.

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The alleged potential hijacker remains in custody.

The AFP released this statement: “This matter is before the court, with open-source reporting on this individual’s court case in July 2025. Suppression orders remain in place.”

Prime Minster Anthony Albanese has been briefed, according to the report.

Questions are being raised if it was an anti-Semitic and pro Middle Eastern motive behind the plot.

The plot involved plans to stop the passenger jet for refuelling on the flight from Australia to the Middle East, with questions around how sophisticated the terror plot was planned.

Pilot David Oliver shared his views about the plot on Sunrise.

A plot to hijack an Australian passenger plane and fly it to a Middle Eastern country has been foiled by security agencies. Credit: Seven

“It’s quite bizarre, is the word that I would use,” Oliver said.

“There are strict security protocols both at an airport and onboard the aircraft. So, for a potential hijacker to try and take control of an aircraft seems to me to be far-fetched in this day and age.”

“There’s a security protocols on the ground which are fairly strict. Both for airport workers and non-airport workers, who have to access certain facilities.

“(For) the aircraft, there is strict protocols for flight access which both the cabin crew and flight crew are privy to that passengers would not know. It would be difficult to get into the flight deck.”

Health Minister Mark Butler and Senator Jane Hume also appeared on Sunrise to talk about the plot.

“Obviously any report of a potential hijacking sends shivers down the spine of every Australian. Particularly Australians who fly. I want to be cautious about this,” Butler said.

“As you reported, Nat (Barr), this alleged hijacker is in custody. There’s no threat to the Australian community, but there’s a suppression order on this for good reason.

“Investigations are still underway by our intelligence and security agencies.

“So, we don’t want to speculate about other aspects of this issue. We want to let our agencies do their work and that will all come out in due course and be prosecuted in the normal way.”

Hume was equally concerned about the plot.

“The most important thing here is we make sure that Australians that are flying, particularly those that are sitting in airport lounges watching this right now, can rest assured that security forces and the department are doing everything they can possibly can.

“There are around 18 international airports in Australia. Hundreds and hundreds more in our regional communities.”

Hume referred to the security incident at Avalon Airport earlier this year.

“I want to make sure that report and its recommendations are made public and that the government’s responses to those recommendations are made public,” Hume continued.

“If there are security upgrades that are necessary, well, then, it should be very clear exactly what they are, and we should make sure and hold the government to account.”