JAKARTA: A plane carrying hundreds of Haj pilgrims back to Indonesia from the Middle East was diverted on Saturday (Jun 21) after a bomb threat, the transport ministry and police said, the second such incident in a week.
Saudia Airlines flight SV5688 had flown from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the Omani capital of Muscat before travelling on to Indonesia where it was due to land in Surabaya, a city on the main island of Java.
But air traffic control officers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta received a call about a bomb threat for the flight, prompting its diversion to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan city Saturday morning, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
Regional airport authority head Asri Santosa said in a statement that officers were checking the plane after its arrival but the airport on Sumatra island remained operational.
All 376 passengers, Haj pilgrims from Java, and 13 crew members were safe at the airport, North Sumatra police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told AFP.
A bomb squad was deployed to sweep the aircraft.
The passengers are due to resume their journey on Sunday, said Asri.
According to Indonesian news site Tempo, the country’s anti-terror squad Densus 88 is investigating the latest bomb threat.
On Tuesday, a plane carrying 442 Haj pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia to Jakarta was also diverted to Medan after an email bomb threat was sent to authorities.
The Indonesian National Police (Polri) is in contact with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on the email bomb threat, Polri chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo told reporters on Saturday.
“We are looking into whether this case falls under Indonesia’s jurisdiction. Everything is being investigated thoroughly,” he said.
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