Southwest Airlines passengers diverted after bomb scare

A Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii was diverted after passengers were sent alarming photos suggesting there was a bomb on the plane.

A trouble-making traveler, who has not been identified, used Apple’s AirDrop feature to spread the threatening images, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff’s department received the tip at around 11 a.m. Monday when Flight 3316 was forced to land in Oakland, California.

The photos prompted police, with the aid of bomb-sniffing dogs, to inspect the plane and luggage on board, but no explosives were found, officials said.

Oakland Airport Operations, Airport Police and the TSA all assisted in evacuating the passengers, who were left terrified over the incident.

Valerie Maluchnik, who was flying home to Maui with her two kids, documented the bomb scare on TikTok.

The mom said that when the plane diverted mid-flight, she saw one of the flight attendants freaking out.

“I started to notice one of the flight attendants kept saying, ‘Get me the f—k off this plane, get me the f—k off this plane,’ repeatedly, and I made eye contact with her, and she stopped,” Maluchnik told SFGATE.

While Maluchnik said that she didn’t see the photos shared on AirDrop herself, there were rumors in the plane that the pictures showed off their plane with people claiming that they were “going to blow this b– up.”

Fortunately, the investigation ended without further incident, with the flight to Hawaii resuming about six hours later, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is still active and did not specify what exactly the photos showed and who shared them.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Southwest said in a statement: “We place no priority higher than safety and we’re grateful for patience and understanding during this delayed journey to Hawaii.”

The incident is reminiscent of when a Pennsylvania high schooler was arrested in February after passengers received an AirDrop request from a sender named “I have a bomb” on a Chicago-bound flight.