El Al plane lands safely after being accompanied by Swiss F-18 jets amid bomb threat

The bomb threat was deemed a false alarm and the plane continued on to Tel Aviv.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: JULY 5, 2016 15:48
El Al flight lands at Tel Aviv destination after bomb threat (REUTERS)
Swiss Air Force F-18 fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday to accompany an El Al flight due to a bomb threat which eventually turned out to be a false alarm.
The flight from New York to Tel Aviv was over the Swiss-French border when the jets were scrambled.
Once the El Al plane passed out of Swiss territory, the jets returned to their bases and the plane continued on its way to Tel Aviv.
An anonymous bomb threat to authorities in New York prompted Swiss authorities to send the F-18 jets to accompany the El Al flight. The plane's kitchen was searched, but no bomb was discovered and the plane landed safely at Ben-Gurion Airport in central Israel.
Sky Guide, a Swiss air navigation service provider, said the bomb threat was received when the El Al aircraft was over France. It said the flight was accompanied by French fighter jets before it crossed into Swiss air space.
A passenger who had been aboard the flight told The Jerusalem Post that he and his fellow passengers were not alerted to the bomb threat or any irregularity during the flight.
Last month, security personnel from El Al acted against a person they viewed as suspicious at the Athens International Airport in Greece.
The man in question had been walking in the area with a large backpack that aroused the suspicion of the security guards.
After the man failed to heed to the guards' several calls, they acted to overcome him.
Reuters contributed to this report.


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