Israeli fighter jets scrambled to intercept a Wizz Air flight from London to Tel Aviv after a child renamed his parents’ phone Wi-Fi hotspot to the word ‘terrorist’.
The plane was flying from Luton to Ben-Gurion airport on Sunday afternoon when panic engulfed the cabin.
A passenger reportedly spotted what appeared to be a threatening message on a mobile phone belonging to an ultra-Orthodox couple, Israeli media reports.
The crew informed the control tower at Ben-Gurion Airport and they sent fighter jets to escort the plane.
However the security threat turned out to be the name of a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The couple’s son had changed the name of the access point on his parents’ phone to ‘terrorist’ before they boarded the flight, Israeli media reports.
Passenger Desi Miller told Mako that they noticed the plane looping in the air before fighter jets began circling the plane.
The Wizz Air plane landed safely in Israel before security personnel checked all passengers.
Desi Miller added: ‘The first thing we noticed upon landing was the number of police officers and security forces waiting for us — it was a very stressful moment.
‘There were dozens of police officers, and that’s when serious panic began among the passengers.’
The Airports Authority said: ‘Due to suspicion of suspicious behavior 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.’
A Wizz Air Spokesperson said: ‘Wizz Air can confirm that flight W95301 from London Luton to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion landed safely. The safety of our passengers and crew is our utmost priority; for further information, please reach out to the relevant Israeli authorities.’
