08 July 2023 , 17:56
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Passengers onboard a flight were left terrified after their plane was diverted due to to a bomb threat sent by AirDrop
A flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii was diverted to Oakland, California, after someone sent photos via Apple's AirDrop feature to a flight attendant on board suggesting a bomb was on the plane.
One terrified woman onboard claims a flight attendant kept saying "Get me the f—k off this plane, get me the f—k off this plane" after the chilling discovery was made.
No explosive materials were found after the plane and passengers were scanned by security, the sheriff’s office has said.
A Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii was diverted (tiktok.com/@miss.valerie808/)Mum Valerie Maluchnik, who was travelling with her two kids shared the moment an officer with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office boarded the flight and said there was a security issue.
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She told SFGATE that the pilot originally announced that they were landing due to a mechanical issue.
“I started to notice one of the flight attendants kept saying, ‘Get me the f—k off this plane, get me the f—k off this plane,’ repeatedly, and I made eye contact with her, and she stopped,” Maluchnik said.
The mum said officials re-screened her and all of the other passengers.
The FBI are investigating (Bloomberg via Getty Images)“They said for us to stay seated and to keep the windows closed because it would get too hot. And we have to keep our seat belts on because we’re on an active runway, and when the doors opened, a sergeant came on board.
"When we got off, I noticed that we were behind a concrete barrier, I’m assuming to protect any incendiary devices from affecting the other aircrafts and the airport.
"And then, it was a slew of vehicles; all of our luggage had been taken off. There were dogs sniffing us as we came down, they put us on buses, and then we went through security again.”
In a video she shared, travellers were told to leave behind their belongings apart from their mobile phones and ID's - but given no details of what had occurred, although the officer did confirm there was a security incident involving the plane.
Once the plane landed, it was evacuated by Oakland Airport Operations, the Transportation Security Administration and Airport Police Services.
The plane continued its journey to Hawaii without further issue, officials said.
There have been no arrests in connection with the incident, which remains under investigation, and the case has been forwarded to the FBI.
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In a statement, Southwest Airlines said on Friday: "Safety is our guiding focus and we’re grateful for patience and understanding during this delayed journey to Hawaii,"