Bomb threat diverts plane with hundreds of haj pilgrims in Indonesia, second in days

This handout photo taken and released on Saturday, June 21, 2025 by Indonesian Air Force’s Quick Reaction Forces Command (KOPASGAT) shows a military serviceman riding on a tug pulling luggage near a Saudia aircraft at the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, after the plane was diverted following a bomb threat. - Photo: Handout/KOPASGAT/AFP

JAKARTA (AFP): A plane carrying hundreds of hajj pilgrims back to Indonesia from the Middle East was diverted Saturday after a bomb threat, the transport ministry and police said, the second such incident in a week.

Saudia Airlines flight SV5688 had flown from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the Omani capital Muscat before travelling on to Indonesia where it was due to land in Surabaya, a city on the main island Java.