{
  "id": 293036,
  "title": "Bomb and hijack claim sent Indonesia's second-busiest airport searching two boarded flights",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/bomb-and-hijack-claim-sent-indonesias-second-busiest-airport",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress International",
    "slug": "vnexpress-international",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/traffic/bomb-and-hijack-claim-sent-indonesia-s-second-busiest-airport-searching-two-boarded-flights-5106580.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali received a threatening message via WhatsApp on August 2nd, reporting a woman with a homemade bomb aboard two international flights. The alert, sent from an unidentified sender known only as EPD, was initially sent at 9:58 p.m. However, it took until 12:44 a.m. on August 3rd for airport security to receive the message, nearly three hours after it was initially sent. The airport swiftly activated its highest alert level, Siaga I, and initiated a joint search by aviation security, police, and military personnel focusing on the two flights with passengers already aboard. Despite the false alarm, the airport reported that flights and passenger services continued normally. Ngurah Rai, Indonesia's second-busiest airport after Soekarno-Hatta near Jakarta, handled 24,125,161 passengers in 2025, with 63% of those on international routes. Criminal investigators began their follow-up procedures immediately after the initial report and have summoned those who received the false message. The airport spokesperson emphasized that circulation of false threat information is a serious offense under Indonesian law, carrying criminal penalties.",
  "summary": "Bali's main airport searched two boarded international flights after a message falsely warned that a woman was carrying a bomb and planned to hijack a departing plane.",
  "key_points": [
    "Threat message sent via WhatsApp on August 2nd",
    "Airport security activated highest alert level Siaga I",
    "Criminal investigators summoned recipients of false message"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The delayed receipt of the threatening message and ensuing search at Bali's airport highlight vulnerabilities in the communication channels relied on by authorities to respond to potential security threats.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}