Bomb threat forces diversion of Hajj pilgrims flight in Indonesia

NUSANTARA: Indonesia‘s aviation body said a plane carrying hundreds of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia was diverted to Indonesia on Tuesday after an email bomb threat was made.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it had received a report from an Indonesian airport operator “about a bomb threat sent via electronic mail from an unknown person.”

The email, sent at 7:30 am (0030 GMT), threatened to “blow up” Saudia Airlines flight SV 5276, which was flying from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, a statement said.

The pilot diverted the plane from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to its destination, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, in the city of Medan on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, shortly after 10:00 am.

The flight was carrying 442 pilgrims, including 207 men and 235 women.

“Upon identifying security and safety risks, the pilot decided to divert the landing to a nearby airport,” said Indonesian airport operator InJourney Airports.

A transport ministry official told AFP the plane was still in Medan and Flight Radar 24 showed the plane there.

The airport evacuated the pilgrims and the bomb disposal unit swept the plane for explosives, the aviation body said in a statement.