Israel flight makes emergency landing after 'bomb threat' weeks after 'jihadist' hijack attempt

An Austrian Airlines flight from Israel was forced to make an emergency landing following a "bomb threat" just weeks after an alleged jihadist hijack attempt on a Flydubai aircraft. The plane took off from Tel Aviv and was bound for Vienna - but it was forced to make an emergency landing in Sofia after Bulgarian authorities received a "bomb threat signal". The flight is believed to have had six crew members and 51 passengers on board. In a statement, Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport and Communications said: "During the flight, on the border with Romania, the crew reported a bomb threat signal and decided to land in Sofia extraordinarily. "According to the procedures, an Air Force fighter took off and accompanied the plane until it landed at the airport in Sofia. "A working headquarters has been formed and the responsible institutions have started an inspection." The ministry confirmed the passengers on board have now been taken off the aircraft. Security concerns on the Austrian Airlines flight is believed to have been triggered by the discovery of a suspicious object on the deck of the aircraft, according to Israeli media reports. Passengers have told Ynet they were informed an "anonymous report of a bomb on the plane" had been made. The report is said to have made by an Austrian citizen who was not on board the flight, Ynet reports. In a statement, the Lufthansa Group - which operates Austrian Airlines - said: "We confirm that a threat was received concerning Austrian Airlines flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna, prompting the aircraft to divert to Sofia, Bulgaria. "The plane landed safely at 8.42pm Central European Summer Time. ISRAEL - READ THE LATEST: "The Airbus A320 underwent security checks. There were 51 passengers and six crew members on board." The carrier added that passengers affected by the diversion will be rebooked on a different flight at the earliest opportunity. The emergency landing comes just weeks after Hammam al-Hammami, 29, was arrested after the suspected hijacking of a Flydubai Boeing 737 Max travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft was carrying 182 people when al-Hammami was alleged to have attacked Captain Smit Machchhar, and attempted to take over the aircraft’s controls on September 30. Passengers and crew, including an off-duty British pilot, managed to tie up and stop the alleged attacker before stabilising and landing the jet. All passengers, including Al-Hammami, who remains in custody in Saudi Arabia, survived the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Daily Mail he was "amazed" by the bravery of the passengers on board. He hailed "the extraordinary courage and resourcefulness" of one Israeli passenger for avoiding potential disaster. "The sewage plumber. He heard screams from the cockpit. He ran to the cockpit. The plane was already veering out of control. He was thrust to the side," Mr Netanyahu said. Follow related topics: