JAKARTA: A plane carrying hundreds of Haj pilgrims back to Indonesia was diverted Saturday after a bomb threat, the transport ministry and police said, the second such incident in a week.

Saudi 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.

But air traffic control officers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta received a call about a bomb threat for the flight, prompting its diversion to Kualanamu Inter­national Airport in Medan city Saturday morning, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

All 376 passengers, Haj pilgrims from Java, and 13 crew members were safe at the airport, North Sumatra police spokesman Ferry Walintukan said.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025