Indonesian Police, FBI probe bomb threat to pilgrim flight

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Police (Polri) established coordination with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate a bomb threat directed at Saudia Airlines Flight SV-5276 that carried Indonesian Hajj pilgrims.

"Yes, of course, we are cooperating with the FBI," Polri Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo remarked at the police headquarters in Jakarta on Saturday.

He remarked that the two institutions are also working to determine which country has jurisdiction over the case, which originated from a bomb threat sent by an unidentified party via email.

"We are looking into whether this case falls under Indonesia's jurisdiction. Everything is being investigated thoroughly," he revealed.

Earlier, Polri's anti-terror squad, Special Detachment (Densus) 88, made similar statements, emphasizing the origin of the email.

"With the email, we will find out whether the threat came from within or from abroad," Densus 88 spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana told the media in Jakarta on Wednesday (June 18).

He assured the public that the police are working to identify the sender, who is believed to be a foreign national.

Densus 88 is also coordinating with the Saudi Arabian government since the incident involves one of its aviation assets.

On Tuesday (June 17), at around 7:30 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB), the Saudia flight, transporting 442 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims from Jeddah to Jakarta, received a bomb threat via email.

This prompted the pilots to make an emergency landing at Kualanamu Airport in Deli Serdang District, North Sumatra, at 10:44 a.m. WIB.

Officers from the police's bomb disposal unit, military, aviation security, and the airport emergency unit then conducted a thorough search of the Boeing 777 aircraft, ultimately clearing it as no bomb was found.

Once declared safe, the plane resumed its flight with the pilgrims to Jakarta the following morning.