Inp.polri.go.id - Tangerang.  A 42-year-old Lion Air passenger has been named a suspect for claiming to carry a bomb aboard a flight from Jakarta to Kualanamu, North Sumatra.

The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Sub-regional Police confirmed the suspect, identified by the initial H, a resident of Pematang Siantar, faces charges under Law No. 1/2009 on Aviation. If convicted, he could face up to eight years in prison.

“Anyone is prohibited from making threats that endanger the safety of air travel,” said Senior Superintendent Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno Hatta Airport Chief, in a press conference on Monday (4/8/2025), as quoted by antaranews.com.

The suspect's alleged bomb threat, which went viral on social media, occurred as a form of protest over a flight delay. Authorities say the suspect had just completed a series of flights from Merauke to Makassar and on to Jakarta, before boarding the Jakarta–Kualanamu flight.

Airport security teams, including police and civil investigators, questioned eight witnesses, examined CCTV footage, and collected video evidence and personal belongings of the suspect.

“Initial findings indicate the suspect acted out of frustration and mental exhaustion,” said Ronald. Although urine and alcohol tests came back negative, police have noted signs of emotional instability and plan to summon the suspect’s family for further psychological assessment and bring him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by experts from the Indonesian National Police Hospital.  

Lion Air will also blacklist the suspect from future flights,  pending the legal outcome.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)