Latest news with #Densus88
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Indonesia probes second bomb threat on Saudia haj flight
An armed military serviceman keeping watch near a Saudia aircraft at the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan after the plane was diverted following a bomb threat. - AFP JAKARTA: A second bomb threat targeting Saudia has been reported, Indonesian authorities said Monday (June 23). The threat, made on Saturday via voice communication routed through a Virtual Private Network (VPN)-based radio system, prompted an emergency landing in North Sumatra. The affected flight, Saudia flight SVA 5688, operating the Jeddah-Muscat-Surabaya route, was carrying 376 haj pilgrims from East Java and 11 crew members. The aircraft landed safely at Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra at 9.30am. All passengers and crew were evacuated and underwent security checks, police and military officials said. Police counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana said the message was transmitted while the aircraft was flying over Indian airspace. "The threat was sent via voice communication using a VPN-based radio system that allows ground-to-ground and cross-border communication,' he told local broadcaster MetroTV. A joint inspection involving the military, police, and other agencies found no explosives or suspicious items on board, according to the Armed Forces Information Centre (Puspen TNI). "By 7.15pm, the screening process was completed with no threats detected,' said the centre's head, Major General Kristomei Sianturi, in a statement. The flight resumed at 3 am local time on Sunday after the aircraft was declared safe. The incident followed a similar threat on June 17 involving Saudia flight SV 5276 carrying 422 haj pilgrims from Depok, West Java, on a route from Jeddah to Jakarta. SV 5276 was also forced to land at the same airport. Media reports quoted airport authorities as saying that the threat, sent in English via email to the co-pilot, is believed to have originated in Mumbai and was allegedly issued by a foreign national. "We're analysing whether the threat came from within or outside the country,' Mayndra said, adding that Densus 88 is coordinating with Saudi authorities, as the aircraft is considered a state asset. On Saturday, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said authorities are also working with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to trace the email's origin. "Preliminary findings indicate the sender's name did not match the email address used,' he added. No motive has been established in either case so far. - Bernama
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Second bomb threat forces Saudia Hajj flight to land in Sumatra
JAKARTA: A second bomb threat targeting Saudia has been reported, Indonesian authorities said on Monday. The threat, made on Saturday via a voice message routed through a Virtual Private Network (VPN)-based radio system, prompted an emergency landing in North Sumatra. The affected flight, Saudia flight SVA 5688, was operating the Jeddah–Muscat–Surabaya route and was carrying 376 Hajj pilgrims from East Java and 11 crew members. The aircraft landed safely at Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra at 9.30am. All passengers and crew were evacuated and subjected to security checks, police and military officials said. Police counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 spokesperson Asst Comm Mayndra Eka Wardhana said the message was transmitted while the aircraft was flying over Indian airspace. "The threat was sent via voice communication using a VPN-based radio system that allows ground-to-ground and cross-border communication," he told local broadcaster MetroTV. A joint inspection involving the military, police, and other agencies found no explosives or suspicious items on board, according to the Armed Forces Information Centre (Puspen TNI). "By 7.15pm, the screening process was completed with no threats detected," said the centre's head, Maj Gen Kristomei Sianturi. The flight resumed at 3am on Sunday after the aircraft was declared safe. The incident followed a similar threat on June 17 involving Saudia flight SV 5276, which was carrying 422 Hajj pilgrims from Depok, West Java, on a route from Jeddah to Jakarta. SV 5276 was also forced to land at the same airport. Media reports quoted airport authorities as saying the earlier threat, sent in English via email to the co-pilot, is believed to have originated in Mumbai and was allegedly issued by a foreign national. "We're analysing whether the threat came from within or outside the country," said Mayndra, adding that Densus 88 is coordinating with Saudi authorities, as the aircraft is considered a state asset. On Saturday, National Police Chief Gen Listyo Sigit Prabowo said Indonesian authorities are also working with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to trace the email's origin. "Preliminary findings indicate the sender's name did not match the email address used," he added. No motive has been established in either case so far.
Barnama
12 hours ago
- General
- Barnama
Indonesia Probes Second Bomb Threat On Saudia Hajj Flight
By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, June 23 (Bernama) -- A second bomb threat targeting Saudia has been reported, Indonesian authorities said Monday. The threat, made on Saturday via voice communication routed through a Virtual Private Network (VPN)-based radio system, prompted an emergency landing in North Sumatra. bootstrap slideshow The affected flight, Saudia flight SVA 5688, operating the Jeddah-Muscat-Surabaya route, was carrying 376 Hajj pilgrims from East Java and 11 crew members. The aircraft landed safely at Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra at 9.30 am. All passengers and crew were evacuated and underwent security checks, police and military officials said. Police counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana said the message was transmitted while the aircraft was flying over Indian airspace. 'The threat was sent via voice communication using a VPN-based radio system that allows ground-to-ground and cross-border communication,' he told local broadcaster MetroTV. A joint inspection involving the military, police, and other agencies found no explosives or suspicious items on board, according to the Armed Forces Information Centre (Puspen TNI). 'By 7.15 pm, the screening process was completed with no threats detected,' said the centre's head, Major General Kristomei Sianturi, in a statement. The flight resumed at 3 am local time on Sunday after the aircraft was declared safe.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Bomb threat diverts plane of Haj pilgrims in Indonesia, second in days
JAKARTA: A plane carrying hundreds of Haj pilgrims back to Indonesia from the Middle East was diverted on Saturday (Jun 21) after a bomb threat, the transport ministry and police said, the second such incident in a week. Saudia Airlines flight SV5688 had flown from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the Omani capital of Muscat before travelling on to Indonesia where it was due to land in Surabaya, a city on the main island of Java. But air traffic control officers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta received a call about a bomb threat for the flight, prompting its diversion to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan city Saturday morning, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. Regional airport authority head Asri Santosa said in a statement that officers were checking the plane after its arrival but the airport on Sumatra island remained operational. All 376 passengers, Haj pilgrims from Java, and 13 crew members were safe at the airport, North Sumatra police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told AFP. A bomb squad was deployed to sweep the aircraft. The passengers are due to resume their journey on Sunday, said Asri. According to Indonesian news site Tempo, the country's anti-terror squad Densus 88 is investigating the latest bomb threat. On Tuesday, a plane carrying 442 Haj pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia to Jakarta was also diverted to Medan after an email bomb threat was sent to authorities. The Indonesian National Police (Polri) is in contact with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on the email bomb threat, Polri chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo told reporters on Saturday.
