{
  "id": 15510823,
  "title": "Bomb threat forces airliner from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/bomb-threat-forces-airliner-from-tel-aviv-to-divert-to-bulgaria-15510823",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T22:44:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/19/bomb-threat-forces-airliner-from-tel-aviv-to-divert-to-bulgaria"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna encountered a bomb threat Sunday, leading the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian transport ministry announced that the passengers were evacuated upon landing, and a security search of the Airbus A320 was initiated. The Austrian Airlines crew informed AFP that the flight carried 51 passengers and six crew members. The plane, registered OE-LZE, had entered Romanian airspace around 9:10 PM before turning south and heading towards Bulgaria, landing in Sofia approximately half an hour after the threat. Following the search, passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as soon as possible. The transport ministry has established a crisis response team and initiated an investigation into the incident. A separate incident involved a flydubai flight's co-pilot attacking the captain and planning to intentionally crash the plane, which was thwarted by the crew. Last week, both Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg, Germany, mistakenly sent out a hijacking alert.",
  "summary": "Austrian Airlines said all 51 passengers and six crew members were evacuated after the aircraft landed, which prompted a security search.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Haaretz",
        "title": "Tel Aviv-Vienna flight lands in Bulgaria after suspected bomb threat",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/tel-aviv-vienna-flight-lands-in-bulgaria-after-suspected-bomb-threat",
        "published": "2026-10-18T19:11:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Bomb threat forces airliner from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/bomb-threat-forces-airliner-from-tel-aviv-to-divert-to-bulgaria-15507681",
        "published": "2026-10-18T22:33:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "Bomb threat forces airliner from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/bomb-threat-forces-airliner-from-tel-aviv-to-divert-to-bulgaria",
        "published": "2026-10-18T22:42:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Bomb threat forces airliner from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/bomb-threat-forces-airliner-from-tel-aviv-to-divert-to-bulgaria-15512223",
        "published": "2026-10-18T22:44:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}