A Delta flight arriving from New York was evacuated Tuesday, October 13, over a bomb threat after landing at Tel Aviv airport. According to the Jerusalem Post, passengers were rushed into the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. The plane was searched by investigators.
Was the threat real?
Authorities had received word that there was an explosive onboard. However, the threat turned out to be false after the Airbus A330 twin-jet plane was searched.
“The incident has ended with no unusual findings. Operations have returned to normal,” an Israel Airports Authority spokesperson told Ynet.
Delta operates a daily flight connecting JFK Airport and Tel Aviv. The plane that was searched left JFK just after 3:30 p.m. Monday and landed in Tel Aviv at around 8:30 a.m. local time.
It remains unclear how many passengers and crew were on board the flight during the incident.
{{/usCountry}}It remains unclear how many passengers and crew were on board the flight during the incident.
{{/usCountry}}The threat comes days after a flydubai co-pilot allegedly attacked his captain mid-flight. Omani national Hamam al-Hammami told investigators that he had planned to fly the aircraft to Tel Aviv before crashing into a building or another plane at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Channel 13 and News24.
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According to Israeli media reports, the suspect said he had also planned to kill Captain Smit Machchhar inside the locked cockpit and then take control of the plane. Channel 13 reported that the alleged plot had reportedly been in place before al-Hammami joined flydubai. Investigators were told he had selected the airline because it operated flights to Israel.
“I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he said.
The suspect attacked Machchhar while the aircraft was over Jordan. Despite his injuries, Captain Machchhar reportedly managed to force open the cockpit door. Passengers entered the cockpit, restrained al-Hammami and helped regain control of the aircraft. Two off-duty pilots flew the plane to safety in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now ordered a review of security arrangements for international flights into the country.