Flight Accompanied By Military Aircraft Due To Security Threat

According to reports, an aircraft from Athens, Greece, to Newark, United States, was forced to turn back when security authorities learned of a possible attack, on November 10, 2022. A law enforcement officer with knowledge of the incident indicated that authorities got a report of a man trying to fly into the United States to carry out an attack. Flight 209 was diverted back to Athens International Airport two hours into the flight as a precaution, a source informed the press, despite the report’s lack of credibility. A second aircraft was grounded due to safety concerns.

Greek security authorities were alerted by U.S. officials that there was a suspicious passenger on board the aircraft, according to News. However, Greek police would not confirm the source of the request to the Associated Press. After the aircraft was deplaned and all passengers were screened, neither the suspect nor anything suspicious was discovered, according to the police.

After being forced to turn back over to Italy, Emirates Flight 209 to Newark Airport in New Jersey was escorted back through Greek airspace by two F-16s from the Greek air force, according to military authorities.

The aircraft was unable to land in Italy or France, so it was forced to divert to Athens, where it landed safely. The second planned Emirates flight to Dubai was delayed in Athens before departure. After passengers were inspected, police said that information received regarding a possibly suspicious individual was not validated.