23-05-2025
United Flight Forced to Turn Around After 'Threatening' Message Found on Bathroom Mirror
A United Airlines flight carrying 339 passengers and 10 crew members was diverted earlier this week after a "potential security concern" was found written on the bathroom mirror, forcing the pilot to turn the plane around mid-flight, the airline reports.
United Airlines 1169 departed from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu around 9:40 Tuesday evening, carrying passengers to Los Angeles from the Hawaiian island. But about an hour and a half after taking off, the plane turned back to the Honolulu airport, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware.
The Federal Aviation Administration told People that the aircraft returned to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 1:35 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time on Wednesday, May 21, due to a "security issue."
According to a passenger interviewed by Hawaii News Now, everyone on the flight was forced to wait on the tarmac for over 4 hours as bomb squad officers searched the plane and interrogated passengers. They were also screened by bomb experts and search dogs as they left the plane.
'Later I found out through the airport security manager that someone had written on the bathroom mirror that there was a bomb on the plane,' passenger Kouhei Massey told the outlet.
The FBI in Honolulu confirmed to People via email on Thursday, May 22, that agents did respond to the security incident but could not provide any further information "as this is an ongoing matter," so it is unclear if any arrests have been made at this time.
United Flight Forced to Turn Around After 'Threatening' Message Found on Bathroom Mirror first appeared on Men's Journal on May 23, 2025
