Passenger arrested over bomb threat on US flight

A United Airlines flight travelling from Newark, New Jersey, to New Orleans, Louisiana, was forced to issue a hijacking alert after a passenger allegedly claimed to have a bomb and attempted to storm the cockpit.

The passenger, identified as 34-year-old Rony Gomez Alberto, was arrested after the aircraft landed safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday night.

According to the New York Post on Tuesday, the incident involved United Airlines Flight 2174, which departed Newark International Airport at about 9:30 pm with 46 passengers and six crew members on board.

The pilots reportedly alerted air traffic control to an attempted breach of the cockpit after Alberto allegedly behaved irrationally and falsely told the crew that he had a bomb.

Air traffic control audio reportedly revealed that the passenger, who authorities said spoke very little English, was restrained at the back of the aircraft as the situation unfolded.

The aircraft landed safely in New Orleans at about 11:15 pm, where officers from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office were waiting to receive it.

United Airlines confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying the “sheriff’s office met the aircraft upon arrival.”

Alberto was subsequently taken into custody and charged with communicating false information about planned arson and terrorising, according to local publication NOLA.com.

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He is being “held without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Centre.”

The incident comes weeks after another passenger, “25-year-old Dante Milne, was arrested over an alleged threat to hijack and crash a United Airlines flight travelling to New Jersey.”

Milne, a trainee welder from Woodridge, allegedly sent a threatening text message while aboard the October 24 flight from Las Vegas.

According to a criminal complaint, a flight attendant noticed him typing the message, which read, “I’m gonna hijack this bitch and crash ur row only.”

The threat prompted the aircraft to return to Harry Reid International Airport about 15 minutes after take-off.

Milne reportedly told police he was drunk and had been joking with a friend, describing the message as poorly worded banter between co-workers.