A plane preparing to take off returned to one of the gates of Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Tuesday (10), after photos of air disasters appeared on the cell phones of passengers on the flight.
Israeli officials said they believe nine people aboard the aircraft used the AirDrop feature on Apple cell phones to send the records to other passengers.
The incident, on an AnadoluJet flight bound for Istanbul, would therefore not have been the result of a cyberattack, according to Ofer Lefler, a spokesman for the body that controls Israel’s airports.
The nine suspects, described by police as Israeli citizens who were on the aircraft as passengers, were evacuated from the scene and face prosecution for spreading false information. In the country, such an offense can carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
“I’m sure the police and security authorities will find out who did this,” Lefler told local broadcaster Channel 12. Passengers alarmed by the footage informed the flight attendants, and the pilot made the correct decision to return the aircraft to gate, added the spokesman.
“One woman fainted, another had a panic attack,” a passenger, identified only as Diana, also told Channel 12. The flight ended up departing hours later after a security check on the plane, luggage and passengers, according to Lefler.
AirDrop, which the spokesperson pointed out as a means of sending the images, allows iPhone users to send files to other nearby devices, as long as the person accepts to receive the record.
