Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2025

Flight from El Paso delayed for hours after high school student sends disturbing message to passengers using AirDrop, officials say

Flight from El Paso delayed for hours after high school student sends disturbing message to passengers using AirDrop, officials say

Passengers on a plane traveling from El Paso, Texas, to Chicago were delayed for hours after many of them received the same threatening message just before takeoff.
Last Friday, on American Airlines flight 2051, which had 125 passengers on board, those with Apple devices received an AirDrop notification, local news reported. The cryptic message read: "I have a bomb would like to share a photo," according to a news release by the Texas Department of Public Safety obtained by NBC-affiliated KTSM.

The flight was set to depart at noon and had pulled away from the gate, but after the threat was received, the plane was grounded while a bomb squad searched the aircraft, its passengers, and their luggage.

The investigation — led by the West Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force — found no explosives on board, officials said. Four hours after its scheduled takeoff, the flight was allowed to fly to O'Hare International Airport.

According to the KTSM report, investigators said the suspect, who is a minor, later confessed to sending out the threat, "deemed non-credible" by officials. The suspect's name and age haven't been released, but officials confirmed the teen was a Pennsylvania high school student returning from a mission trip near the Texas-Mexico border, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Investigators had seized the suspect's mobile phone and found evidence that supported the confession before arresting the individual.

The El Paso County Attorney's Office has said it will prosecute the suspect on a state felony charge of false alarm or report. If convicted, the student would face up to two years in jail and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Apple's AirDrop feature allows users to share photos, files, and links with other Apple devices within 30 feet of each other. In January, a flight from Israel to Turkey was delayed for two hours after passengers received images of plane crashes via AirDrop, Insider's Stephanie Stacey reported.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
×