United Airlines turned a plane around due to a suspicious Bluetooth signal — The Independent
A United Airlines flight bound for Spain was forced to make an emergency U-turn and return to its departure airport. The reason was a potential security threat linked to the provocative name of a Bluetooth device belonging to one of the passengers.
This was reported by The Independent.
The Boeing 767, carrying 190 passengers and 12 crew members, took off from Newark bound for Palma de Mallorca. However, just three hours later, the plane landed back at Newark Liberty International Airport.
This decision was made after consulting with the airline’s headquarters in Chicago. The crew suspected a threat due to a list of available Bluetooth networks, where passengers and flight attendants saw a device name consisting of “a certain four-letter word.” Although the exact wording has not been disclosed, it raised suspicions of a terrorist threat and is most likely the word “bomb.”
Special forces were already waiting for the plane at the airport. Port Authority police officers ordered all passengers to evacuate the cabin immediately. Law enforcement officers launched a large-scale inspection and searched every seat and luggage compartment.
Passengers recall that the crew repeatedly asked them to turn off all Bluetooth devices. Two gadgets remained active anyway, which forced customs and border control, as well as special forces, to conduct a second check of everyone on board.
After a delay of several hours, the passengers were sent to Spain on a different plane. The replacement flight departed with a new crew. It is currently unknown whether official charges have been filed against the owner of the device that caused the chaos.
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