A Las Vegas flight to Hawaii was diverted after a passenger AirDropped a photo suggesting there was a bomb on the plane to other passengers, police say

• Police said Southwest Airlines diverted a flight after someone on board shared a sinister message.

• Police said the passenger shared a photo that appeared to suggest there was a bomb on the plane.

• Local media said no explosives were found, and the FBI is now investigating the incident.

Southwest Airlines diverted a flight between Las Vegas and Hawaii to Oakland on Monday after a passenger used Apple's AirDrop feature to share a photo with other people on board that suggested there was a bomb on the plane, police said.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office received a tip shortly before midday on Monday that somebody on Southwest Airlines flight 3316 had shared the image with other passengers, Lt. Tya Modeste told The Mercury News.

A flight attendant also received photos via AirDrop that suggested a bomb was "contained within the aircraft," Modeste told Insider in a statement.

Southwest diverted the plane about 1 hour and 50 minutes into the flight, with the plane eventually landing at Oakland International Airport at around 12:49 p.m., data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware shows.

Alameda County deputies met the plane to help passengers evacuate.

Modeste told Insider: "Oakland Airport Operations, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and APS evacuated the aircraft and, with the utilization of EOD canines, a thorough search was conducted of all persons aboard the flight, as well as their personal belongings and luggage."

The police did not locate any explosive materials.

No suspects are in custody, but the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the FBI are investigating, Modeste said.

A passenger on the flight, Valerie Maluchnik, shared her experience of the incident in a series of TikTok videos.

One video showed a deputy coming on board to inform passengers that there was a "security incident" that would require them to exit the plane with their phones, IDs, and boarding passes.

Later videos show passengers deplaning and waiting in the airport terminal.

Maluchnik said in one post that all passengers' bags were searched to make sure the plane was safe, including the elderly and "moms with infants."

She said she appreciated the thoroughness of the search, adding: "The bomb threat may have been a joke, but what if it wasn't?"

In a statement provided to Insider, Southwest Airlines said it would defer additional questions to local authorities who met the aircraft.

"Safety is our guiding focus and we're grateful for patience and understanding during this delayed journey to Hawaii," the statement added.

This isn't the first time disturbing AirDrop shares have caused flight disruptions.

In February, an American Airlines flight was delayed after a high-school student shared a message with other passengers that read: "I have a bomb would like to share a photo."

And in January Pegasus Airlines delayed a flight after passengers were AirDropped images of plane crashes.

Read the original article on Business Insider