An Australian man who joked about a bomb on board a Singapore airline was fined $6,420 under international anti-terrorism regulations, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Riccardo Paulin, 65, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of raising a false alarm about a terrorist act, The Straits Times reported.

Paulin was looking for space for his hand luggage aboard SilkAir - a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Ltd. - on a flight to Indonesia Saturday when, the newspaper reported, he asked a flight attendant, "Where do you keep the bomb?"

The pilot was informed and Paulin was removed from the plane.

Paulin told the court that his remark was meant as a joke, the newspaper said. He faced a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to five years in jail.

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