Indian police arrest minor for hoax bomb threats to flights

Media reports say the threats were made from an account on X

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A boy looks at Air India passenger aircraft parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, February 1, 2024. — Reuters File

By Reuters

Published: Thu 17 Oct 2024, 5:35 PM

Last updated: Thu 17 Oct 2024, 5:36 PM

Police in India's financial capital Mumbai have arrested a minor for allegedly posting online bomb threats to three flights earlier this week, India's aviation minister said.

Indian airlines have this month received a spate of threats to domestic and international flights on their social media, all of which have been false alarms.

The latest in the string of hoax threats made against Indian airlines targeted a flight from Germany, the airline said on Thursday, with the plane landing safely in Mumbai.

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"Strongly condemn the recent bomb threats to Indian air carriers. We are closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that every necessary measure is taken against such actions," Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the country's civil aviation minister, said in a post on X on Wednesday.

He said the person arrested was a minor, meaning below the age of 18, and did not name him.

Local media have reported that bomb threats were made from an account on X and alleged two IndiGo flights — one to Muscat and another to Jeddah — and an Air India one to New York had armed militants with explosives.

At least eight flights of leading carrier IndiGo INGL.NS were subject to threats. Three Spicejet ones, two Vistara and four Air India ones also received similar messages online this week, according to Reuters calculations.

Air India said its flight from New Delhi to Chicago was also forced to land in Canada on Wednesday after a "security threat posted online". Passengers were later taken to their destination by a Canadian Air Force plane.

"Air India notes that it, and other local airlines, have been subject to a number of threats in recent days," the carrier said.

Reuters

Published: Thu 17 Oct 2024, 5:35 PM

Last updated: Thu 17 Oct 2024, 5:36 PM

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