Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Wizz Air flight from Luton to Tel Aviv after a passenger changed their WiFi name to ‘terrorist’ and sent threatening messages to fellow travellers
Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a UK flight after authorities were alerted that a passenger had changed their WiFi name onboard. They were deployed following reports of ‘threatening messages’ being transmitted to travellers on the W95301 Wizz Air service from Luton, which was scheduled to arrive at Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The ‘security incident’ developed when cabin crew informed Israeli security officials of a potential threat. Officials believe a child secretly renamed his parents’ phone WiFi hotspot name to ‘terrorist,’ the Sun reports.
Concerned passengers sounded the alarm, prompting fighter jets to patrol the airspace before the aircraft eventually touched down safely in Israel.
FlightRadar data later showed the jet looped three times over the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Cyprus, as security services assessed the situation mid-air. The plane was eventually guided safely into Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, where passengers were met by bomb-sniffing dogs.
Every traveller – and their belongings – was thoroughly searched.
A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority confirmed the scare was unfounded, telling the Times of Israel: “The aircraft landed, and it was found that there was no real incident.”
Flights in and out of Tel Aviv were briefly halted during the drama, before air traffic returned to normal.
The Airports Authority stated: “Due to suspicion of suspicious behaviour on the plane, security forces acted according to the procedures for such a case. The incident ended. The plane landed and it was found that there was no actual incident.”
Last month a Turkish Airlines flight was forced into an emergency landing escorted by NATO fighter jets after a passenger created a personal WiFi hotspot called: ‘I have a bomb, everyone will die.’
The quick reaction alert saw officials treat the incident as a “terrorist threat” and the plane was grounded at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain while the jet was scoured for explosives.
Some 148 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated during the operation by the Civil Guard. It came after flight TK183 departed from Istanbul Airport earlier that morning. The aircraft A-321 circled several times before landing on the runway.
The plane was escorted by Spanish and French military fighter jets after the threat was detected over the Mediterranian Sea off the coast of Italy just after 10am.
A “sonic boom” was heard over Comminges and Ariege regions in southern France due to French fighter aircraft being scrambled in response to the bomb threat
The plane was moved to a distant car park away from the main runway while investigations were carried out and all luggage was checked with the airport continuing to operate as normal.
According to Turkish Airlines Communication Director Yahya Üstün and Catalan authorities, the network name reportedly included the phrase “I have a bomb, everyone will die.” The crew declared an emergency (squawk 7700), according to AirLive.
In accordance with international aviation security standards, the discovery triggered a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) coordinated by NATO. The high-risk nature of the threat led to the scrambling of fighter jets to intercept and monitor the commercial airliner.
The plane landed safely on Barcelona’s runway at around 11am local time met by a massive security presence.
After all passengers and crew were safely disembarked, specialised bomb disposal units (TEDAX) and canine teams inspected the aircraft and luggage.
The Spanish Interior Ministry later confirmed that no explosive materials were found on board.
The passenger responsible for the Wi-Fi hotspot was identified and detained for questioning. While Barcelona-El Prat Airport continued to operate “with normality” throughout the day, the incident caused a 30-minute delay for the specific flight.
Credits: WizzAir
