A Singapore district court has jailed a businessman for 10 months for claiming to be an Israeli terrorist and threatening to hijack and bring down the plane that he was on.
Court documents showed Peethambaran Dilip was charged with criminal intimidation after he threatened the cabin crew during a March 19 SilkAir flight from Singapore to India.
Dilip was jailed on Wednesday for 10 months, subordinate court spokeswoman Joyce Loh said on Thursday.
SilkAir is a subsidiary of the city-state's flag carrier Singapore Airlines Ltd.
Dilip was unhappy when a stewardess placed a bag belonging to another passenger in the compartment above him, the documents said.
"I belong to the Israeli group which is not afraid of bringing down the plane. If I can't do it in Singapore, I will do it overseas and that can happen in the near future," The Straits Times newspaper on Thursday quoted Dilip, a Singaporean, as saying on board the flight.
Dilip also threatened to harm the stewardesses if he saw them in Singapore, the documents said.
Dilip, a Singaporean, also threatened to harm the stewardesses if he saw them in the city-state. He was arrested on his return from India on April 19.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Sasha Lee Kok San told the court the cabin crew was alarmed by the threats and informed the pilot.
The 52-year-old businessman was arrested upon his return from India a month after the incident occurred. He could have been jailed up to seven years and fined.
