An unusual incident occurred on November 6, 2023 near Tokyo Narita Airport in Japan, when a Singapore Airlines flight attendant was arrested on suspicion of theft and is said to have bitten a police officer during the arrest. 

According to local media reports, the suspect was caught trying to steal goods from a store in Narita at around 6 a.m. on November 2023, 11. According to Asia One, there were a total of six items with a total value of around 00 euros. The police were called. 

During the official act that followed, the flight attendant is said to have shown a lack of understanding. According to a statement from the police, he claimed that he had no intention of stealing but had planned to come back later to pay. However, the argument did not work and considerable physical resistance is said to have followed. The police arrested the man and he is said to have bitten an officer. This fact was confirmed by the Japanese police. 

Local media write that the flight attendant justified himself as follows: He stated that the police officer grabbed him by the neck and because he wanted to be let go immediately, he grabbed it. In his opinion, the bite was just a form of self-defense. The Japanese police see it differently and the incident has now even drawn the attention of Singapore's Foreign Ministry. 

Singapore Airlines, for which the suspected flight attendant works full-time, told Channel News Asia: “SIA can confirm that one of our employees has been arrested in Japan. As the matter remains under investigation, we cannot comment further.” According to Japanese police, the man is currently in custody. 

The Foreign Ministry of Singapore, represented by the embassy based in Japan, is now said to have intervened. The flight attendant should be provided with so-called consular assistance. This should primarily include giving the flight attendant a list of lawyers he can contact. The authority expressly made it clear that it would not be liable for any possible bail or a fine. Nor did I demand immediate release or intervene in any other way. One cannot and will not ignore Japanese laws. 

It is currently still completely unclear what consequences the incident will have for the flight attendant. In the event of an indictment, the alleged allegations of resistance to state authority and bodily harm are likely to be more serious than the theft of comparatively low-value goods.