Plane from New York evacuated at Israel airport after anonymous ‘bomb threat’

A plane from New York to Tel Aviv sparked a major emergency response after an anonymous bomb threat was made.

The Delta Airlines flight was evacuated in an isolated area of the airport and searched after a message claimed an explosive was onboard.

Ben Gurion Airport staff found that there was no immediate danger, and evidence points to a false alarm.

The false threat came a week after a FlyDubai co-pilot attacked the plane’s captain in an attempt to hijack the plane.

Flight 1073 was bound for Tel Aviv in Israel when it was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia due to the onboard altercation.

It was able to land safely thanks to the intervention of two off-duty pilots travelling on the flight, who helped Indian captain Smit Machchhar regain control of the plane.

Officials say the banned pilot had come close to crashing the aircraft, which was carrying 182 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident was a result of ‘Islamist radicalisation’.

Hammam al-Hammami has been accused of attacking his captain on the flight deck, causing the plane to enter a sudden dive.

It has been reported that the weapon used was a ‘crash axe’ kept in the cockpit in case of emergencies.

Al-Hammami had previously been flagged for holding radical views, it has been revealed.

The 29-year-old Omani national had previously trained at his country’s flag carrier in 2024, but was moved to an administrative role after being found in possession of extremist materials, ABC News reported.

He had reportedly completed a distance-learning degree in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University in 2023.

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