A plane that was about to take off from Israel to Turkey was delayed Tuesday after an unsolicited picture of a plane crash was sent to the phones of the passengers on board.
The flight, operated by Turkish Airlines subsidiary Anadolu Jet, was postponed pending further investigation of the incident's circumstances. Some 160 passengers aboard the aircraft, meanwhile, were forced to return to a terminal at the Ben Gurion Airport.
The image that was sent shows Turkish Airline plane bound for Istanbul that crashed at take-off in 2009 in the Netherlands, killing nine people.
The Israel Airport Authority said that "security crews are taking all necessary steps to ensure that there is no danger to passengers. This includes a re-inspection of the passengers and their luggage".
"All the steps taken are done in cooperation and coordination with the flight's captain, who exhibited great responsibility with his decision to return the plane to the terminal."
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GPS tracker showing the flight returning to the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: FlightRadar24)
The IAA added that once its Security Division makes sure there is no risk to either the passengers or the plane, the flight will be allowed to leave Ben Gurion Airport as planned.
The incident comes amid heightened security tensions all throughout the country, spurred on by a recent flurry of terror attacks which left no less than 18 Israelis dead in the span of just two months.