Wizz Air flight intercepted by fighter jets after child renames WiFi 'terrorist'

Fighter jets were dispatched to intercept a UK flight after authorities were alerted that a passenger had altered their WiFi name onboard.

They were mobilised in response to reports of 'threatening messages' being broadcast to passengers on the W95301 Wizz Air service from Luton, which was due to land at Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel .

The 'security incident' unfolded when cabin crew notified Israeli security officials of a potential threat. Officials suspect a child covertly renamed his parents' phone WiFi hotspot to 'terrorist,' according to the Sun.

Alarmed passengers raised the alert, leading to fighter jets patrolling the airspace until the aircraft eventually landed safely in Israel.

FlightRadar data subsequently revealed the jet performed three loops over the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Cyprus, as security services evaluated the situation mid-flight. The plane was ultimately guided safely into Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, where passengers were greeted by bomb-sniffing dogs .

Every passenger – and their possessions – was meticulously searched, reports the Daily Star .

A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority confirmed the scare was baseless, informing the Times of Israel: "The aircraft landed, and it was found that there was no real incident."

Flights entering and departing Tel Aviv were briefly suspended during the commotion, before air traffic resumed as normal.

The Airports Authority stated: "Due to suspicion of suspicious behaviour on the plane, security forces acted according to the procedures for such a case. The incident ended. The plane landed and it was found that there was no actual incident."

Last month a Turkish Airlines flight was compelled into an emergency landing accompanied by NATO fighter jets after a passenger established a personal WiFi hotspot named: 'I have a bomb, everyone will die. '.

The rapid response alert saw authorities handle the incident as a "terrorist threat" and the aircraft was grounded at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain whilst the jet was searched for explosives.

Some 148 travellers and seven cabin crew were evacuated during the operation by the Civil Guard. It occurred after flight TK183 had departed from Istanbul Airport earlier that morning.

The aircraft A-321 circled repeatedly before touching down on the runway. The plane was accompanied by Spanish and French military fighter jets after the threat was identified over the Mediterranean Sea off the Italian coast just after 10am.

A "sonic boom" was heard across Comminges and Ariege regions in southern France due to French fighter aircraft being deployed in response to the bomb threat.

The plane was relocated to a remote parking area away from the primary runway whilst investigations were conducted and all baggage was examined with the airport continuing to function normally. According to Turkish Airlines Communication Director Yahya Üstün and Catalan authorities, the network name reportedly included the phrase "I have a bomb, everyone will die."

The crew declared an emergency (squawk 7700), according to AirLive.

In line with international aviation security standards, the discovery triggered a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) coordinated by NATO. The high-risk nature of the threat led to the scrambling of fighter jets to intercept and monitor the commercial airliner.

The plane landed safely on Barcelona's runway at around 11am local time met by a significant security presence.

After all passengers and crew were safely disembarked, specialised bomb disposal units (TEDAX) and canine teams inspected the aircraft and luggage.

The Spanish Interior Ministry later confirmed that no explosive materials were found on board.

The passenger responsible for the Wi-Fi hotspot was identified and detained for questioning. While Barcelona-El Prat Airport continued to operate "with normality" throughout the day, the incident caused a 30-minute delay for the specific flight.