TORONTO, Oct 24: An Israeli passenger jet had to make an emergency landing at Hamilton airport nearly 40 kilometres west of Toronto following an undisclosed threat to the plane, airport and civil aviation authorities said here on Thursday.

Israel’s regular Los Angles-bound EI Al flight carrying 180 passengers was scheduled to land at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Thursday morning but the authorities decided to divert it to Hamilton where special security arrangements were made.

Airport authorities declined to explain the nature of the security concern. “We can say this much that the threat was made to this aircraft and to the Toronto airport,” said one official who asked not to be quoted.

He said it was first decided that the plane be diverted to Montreal but for the convenience of the incoming passengers, authorities opted for Hamilton airport.

The passengers at Toronto airport waiting to join the Israeli flight El Al 767 were quickly transported to Hamilton by bus.

A spokesman for Hamilton airport Ken Mitchell later told newsmen that he did not know how the threat was transmitted. “I know this much that the threat was made while the aircraft was in flight,” he added.

Meanwhile, four Canadian agencies were making a thorough investigation into all aspects of the threat.