On Tuesday, an Air India flight carrying 211 people from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to Iqaluit Airport in Canada due to a bomb threat on social media. In just two days, eleven flights had to be grounded owing to bomb threats, the most of which were posted online.
The bomb threats prompted security officials to conduct particular counter-terrorist drills at several airports. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has scheduled a high-level meeting for Wednesday in response to a string of bomb threats received by different Indian airlines.
Most of the bomb threats to the 10 aircraft came from a single X account, schizobomber777, which has now been suspended, officials said.
Threats were made against several flights, including Air India Express flight IX765 from Jaipur to Bengaluru via Ayodhya, SpiceJet flight SG116 from Darbhanga to Mumbai, Akasa Air flight QP1373 from Bagdogra to Bengaluru, Air India flight AI127 from Delhi to Chicago, IndiGo flight 6E98 from Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to Lucknow, Alliance Air flight 9I650 from Amritsar to Dehradun, and Air India Express flight IX684 from Madurai to Singapore.
A senior police officer told news agency ANI, “We have identified and suspended several accounts that were posting threats on social media regarding bombs in airplanes. It has been informed some threats were originated from London and from other countries.”
An airport security officer said, “In the last 24 hours, we have received several bomb threats in many sectors. We are taking up all the calls and also informed concerned police officers regarding the threat to identify the person behind it.”
Another senior security officer emphasised that such threats cannot be ignored, as they concern passenger safety. He said, “After we receive a threat, we inform airlines and the concerned security officer at the airport for further procedure.”
Series of bomb threats via X
Seven flights, including one heading to the United States, received bomb-threat messages via a social media platform X on Tuesday, prompting security agencies to conduct specific counter-terrorism drills at various airports.
These threats, made on the microblogging site X, followed a similar incident on Monday when three international flights departing from Mumbai received bomb threats, causing disruption for hundreds of passengers and crew members. A New York-bound Air India flight was diverted to New Delhi and rescheduled, while two IndiGo flights faced delays of several hours.
All messages received on Monday were later declared hoaxes after security and intelligence agencies, along with airline and airport operators, carried out the necessary anti-terrorism security drills activated in response to bomb or hijack threats, according to sources.
Officials said that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has enlisted the help of Indian cybersecurity agencies and police to trace the individual or individuals responsible for these threats.
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Source: News18
