Turkish Flight Aborts Takeoff After Passengers Receive Images Of Plane Crashes On Their Phones

A flight traveling from Israel to Turkey returned back to the terminal after several passengers received photos of plane crashes on their cellphones.

The Boeing 737, operated by Turkish Airlines subsidiary AnadoluJet, was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport with 160 passengers on board when crew members were informed of the pictures. The captain decided to return to the terminal just as the Tuesday flight was on its way to take-off position, BBC reported.

The passengers were taken off the aircraft for security checks, which included all the luggage being reinspected.

Nine young Israeli suspects were detained at the airport.

“Security crews are taking all necessary steps to ensure that there is no danger to passengers. This includes a re-inspection of the passengers and their luggage,” the Israel Airport Authority (IAA) said following the incident, according to Ynet.

“All the steps taken are done in cooperation and coordination with the flight's captain, who exhibited great responsibility with his decision to return the plane to the terminal,” the IAA added.

The plane was cleared for takeoff and departed for its destination about five hours later.

The images of the plane crash were reportedly sent to passengers via AirDrop. Only iPhone users received the images through the Apple service, which allows users to transfer files from one Apple device to another device that is within a certain range.

The images included pictures of a Turkish Airline plane that crashed during landing at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands, in 2009. Pictures of a 2013 crash in the U.S. were also reportedly included.

Nine passengers were killed in the 2009 crash, while three people died in the 2013 incident, Global News reported.

It is unclear how many passengers received the photos.

Police said nine young Israelis are suspected to be involved in the incident. The suspects were questioned about the photos, “which could be interpreted as constituting a threat to carry out an attack,” police said, according to the Times of Israel.

The police statement said all the suspects were around the age of 18 and hailed from a village in northern Israel. They were reportedly arrested on suspicion of spreading out false information that caused fear and panic among the public.

The IAA praised the flight’s captain for returning to the terminal instead of continuing on the journey.

Following the security checks, passengers were given the choice of staying in Israel or reboarding the plane.