to make an emergency landing in the Romanian capital Bucharest Sunday, September 15, because of a bomb threat, officials said.
The decision to land in Bucharest was made by the captain after a stewardess reported a written bomb threat "in a toilet of the Boeing 737-800 when it flew over neighboring Hungary, explained the Bucharest Otopeni Airport authority in a statement.
"The Boeing 737-800 belonging to (Dutch carrier) Transavia made an emergency landing at Otopeni at 3:45 local time," the airport authorities added.
All passengers later continued their flight to Tel Aviv with a plane of Israeli airline El Al. The Transavia aircraft returned to Amsterdam empty after bomb experts established that there were no security problems.
HOAX
It was not clear who was responsible for the apparent hoax, which came at a sensitive time for the passengers who reportedly wanted to be in Israel to celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur, seen by Jews as the holiest day of the year, is marked by prayer, repentance and fasting. Experts say the day is based on traditions of the First and Second Temple Periods, when a goat carried the sins of the nation on its back.
The animal was released into the Judean Wilderness, east of Jerusalem, and known known as the Scapegoat. Yom Kippur was also the only day when the High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies, the inner most room of the Temple. He would seek God’s forgiveness for himself, his family and finally his nation.
WAR
Yom Kippur is also known as the moment when in 1973 Egypt and Syria surprised Israel with a simultaneous attack across the Suez Canal and the Golan Heights. The war was eventually won by Israel, after a near defeat.
On Sunday, September 15, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem said that Yom Kippur was held amidst tight security with Palestinian territories sealed off from Israel.
