New York to Moscow Flight Diverted After Bomb Threat
Bomb threat diverted a jet flying from New York to Moscow.
Aug. 16, 2012— -- A passenger jet flying from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Moscow was diverted to Iceland because a caller told a law enforcement agency in New York that there were explosives on board the plane.
A total of 256 people were on board the Russian Aeroflot plane when an anonymous caller told authorities that there were five suitcases on the flight containing explosives, each set to detonate when the plane landed in Moscow, the BBC reported.
Once the plane landed at Keflavik airport, passengers looking out the window saw special forces soldiers running toward the plane. All of the passengers had to evacuate and leave their bags on board, while authorities went through the luggage piece by piece.
Authorities currently say they have found no evidence of any bomb on board.
The call that triggered the diverting of the JFK to Moscow flight was made to a law enforcement agency in New York, sources confirmed to ABC News. Authorities said the flight was diverted out of an abundance of caution.
Aeroflot says it's going to fly the same plane from Iceland to Moscow in a few hours.
Passengers are currently waiting for a new crew to arrive, according to Russian news agency Interfax. The crew on board the plane is reportedly being sent home to Moscow, as crews on the airline work according to set timetables.
The Russian passenger plane Aeroflot took off from New York on Wednesday. Before it was diverted to Iceland, at one point the pilot considered turning the flight back to New York. However, the pilot then decided to go on, only to divert to Iceland.
The plane, an Airbus A330, landed at Iceland's Keflavik international airport Thursday. Baggage and passengers were being inspected, according to The Associated Press.
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