Security alert over Israel Child plays joke in the air - and triggers fighter jet escort
Following a reported security threat, a Wizz Air flight from London to Tel Aviv was escorted by Israeli Air Force fighter jets. After landing, the authorities gave the all-clear - it was a misunderstanding.
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- A Wizz Air flight from London to Tel Aviv was escorted by Israeli Air Force fighter jets after a reported security threat.
- This was triggered by a supposedly threatening message on a passenger's cell phone, which later turned out to be misleading.
- After landing, the authorities gave the all-clear, no dangerous objects were found and air traffic returned to normal.
The Israeli Air Force launched fighter jets on Sunday afternoon to escort a Wizz Air flight to Ben Gurion Airport. The trigger was a suspected security incident on board, a military source told the Times of Israel.
The trigger was Wizz Air flight W95301 from London-Luton to Tel Aviv. According to security sources, a passenger is said to have received a "threatening message" on his cell phone.
A spokesperson for the Israeli airport authority explained that security forces had acted in accordance with established protocols due to suspicious behavior on board. Several fighter jets accompanied the plane until it landed.
"Terrorist" hotspot as the trigger
After landing, however, the authorities determined that there had been no actual incident.
Hebrew media reported that the supposedly threatening message was initially displayed on the cell phone of an ultra-Orthodox couple. According to Channel 12, however, it was the name of a Wi-Fi hotspot that their son had renamed to the Arabic word for "terrorist" - which had triggered the security concerns.
After landing, the passengers and their luggage were checked with explosive detection dogs. No suspicious objects were found. Air traffic, which had been briefly interrupted, then resumed as normal.
