A United Airlines flight from Newark to New Orleans transmitted a hijacking alert after a passenger allegedly claimed to have a bomb in his backpack and attempted to storm the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely, and the man was taken into custody.
Incident on Flight UA2174
United Airlines flight UA2174 departed Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday night. During the flight, the aircraft transmitted squawk code 7500, which signals unlawful interference such as a hijacking or cockpit intrusion, according to the Mirror.
Deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said a 34-year-old man allegedly told crew members he had a bomb in his backpack. The pilots declared a 'Level 4' threat via the aircraft messaging system, the highest possible aviation threat level, indicating an attempted or actual breach of the cockpit.
Safe Landing and Custody
The man was reportedly moved to the rear of the aircraft, where he was seated with crew members. The pilots continued to the scheduled destination at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where the aircraft landed safely.
A spokesperson for United Airlines said: "United flight 2174 from Newark to New Orleans landed safely following a disruptive incident involving a passenger onboard. Law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival."
The airline confirmed there were 46 passengers and six crew members on board the Boeing 737 MAX 9. The flight departed Newark at 9.27pm EST and landed in New Orleans at 11.16pm CST on Monday.
Deputies said the man is now being held in custody on suspicion of communicating false information about a planned act of arson and terrorising. All other passengers left the aircraft after it landed.
Recent Similar Incident
The incident follows a case in which a co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight to Israel stabbed a captain before passengers forced their way into the cockpit and wrestled with him. That flight, travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on September 30, descended quickly before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
