A United Airlines flight bound for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, was forced to return to Newark Liberty International Airport after a security alert was triggered by the name of a Bluetooth device detected on board.
According to a report by The New York Post, the aircraft had departed from New Jersey, United States, at around 6:00 p.m. local time but returned to Newark approximately four and a half hours later.
According to sources cited by the newspaper, the issue began when passengers spotted a Bluetooth device named “bomb” among the devices available for connection. The discovery prompted the crew to initiate security procedures and attempt to locate the owner of the device.
After landing, all passengers were removed from the aircraft and underwent additional screening conducted by officers from the Port Authority, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The aircraft was also subjected to a full inspection.
The investigation determined that the device belonged to a 16-year-old teenager and was actually a Fitbit that had been renamed “bomb.” Once the inspections were completed, passengers boarded a different aircraft with a new crew and continued their journey to Spain.
According to the report, the teenager was not criminally charged by local authorities, but the case was referred to the FBI for further review.
+ MQ-9B SeaGuardian Drone Expands Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
