Tel Aviv–Bound Flight From JFK Gets Swiss Fighter Jet Escort After Bomb Threat

Swiss warplanes scrambled to escort the Boeing 747 that had departed from JFK.

ByABC News
July 5, 2016, 7:24 AM

— -- An El Al flight bound for Israel from New York's JFK International airport was escorted by Swiss military jets today after a bomb threat, according to authorities.

The Boeing 747 landed safely and on schedule in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said U.S. aviation authorities had received an anonymous tip about a bomb inside the aircraft. But there were no suspicious devices found on board after the flight landed, an El Al spokesman said.

The two Swiss F-18 fighter jets established visual contact with the pilot as they escorted the plane through Switzerland's airspace, the Swiss Air Force said in a statement.

El Al flight LY002 was flying over the Swiss-French border when the fighter jets were scrambled, according to Schaffhausen city police and Skyguide, which provides civil and military air navigation services in Switzerland.

After the flight crossed Swiss airspace, the F-18s returned to their bases and the aircraft continued as planned.

ABC News' Marcus Wilford contributed to this report.