Video released by photographer Dudi Rubinstein captures the moment armed security personnel approached the Bulgarian Air flight that was mistakenly reported as hijacked, after it landed in Cyprus. The pilot had falsely declared a hijack earlier, triggering an IAF scramble.
First footage from the Bulgaria Air flight that was mistakenly reported as hijacked earlier Tuesday has been released by photographer Dudi Rubinstein, showing armed security personnel approaching with drawn weapons after the plane landed in Cyprus. The video provides a firsthand look at the tense post-landing scene following a chain of events that began when the pilot erroneously declared a hijack, leading the IDF to scramble two fighter jets.
As The Zioneer first reported at 16:02 Jerusalem on Tuesday, the pilot accidentally triggered the hijack alarm on the Warsaw-to-Tel Aviv flight and immediately corrected the error. Israeli authorities directed the aircraft — carrying 180 passengers — to land in Cyprus as a safety measure, though earlier reports indicated the plane was initially diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria after being denied landing in Cyprus due to congestion. By 16:41 Jerusalem, multiple sources including journalists Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh (N13/Army Radio) confirmed the pilot's error was the cause, and that the flight ultimately landed safely in Cyprus.
This incident comes amid broader scrutiny of airborne security procedures. As The Zioneer reported on Sat June 13 at 16:41 Jerusalem, Israeli fighter jets were also scrambled toward a civilian airliner in a separate incident, though details on that event remain limited. The current footage offers the first visual confirmation of the security response on the ground, capturing the moment armed personnel approached the aircraft.
No further details on the condition of the 180 passengers or the ongoing investigation into the false alert have been released. It also remains unclear whether any disciplinary review of the pilot's error has been initiated.
10 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake