Wizz Air flight intercepted by fighter jets after WiFi renamed 'terrorist'

Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a UK flight after authorities were alerted to a passenger changing their WiFi name whilst onboard.

The aircraft were deployed following reports of 'threatening messages' being transmitted to passengers on the W95301 Wizz Air service from Luton, which was scheduled to arrive at Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. The 'security incident' began when cabin crew informed Israeli security officials of a possible threat.

Officials believe a child secretly changed his parents' phone WiFi hotspot name to 'terrorist,' according to the Sun. Concerned passengers sounded the alarm, resulting in fighter jets monitoring the airspace until the aircraft eventually touched down safely in Israel.

FlightRadar data later showed the jet completed three circuits over the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Cyprus, whilst security services assessed the situation during the flight. The aircraft was eventually escorted safely into Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, where passengers were met by bomb-detection dogs, reports the Mirror .

Every passenger – and their belongings – was thoroughly searched.

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

Flights entering and leaving Tel Aviv were temporarily halted during the incident, before air traffic returned to normal operations. The Airports Authority declared: "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."