As bomb threats on flights rise, Centre issues warning to X
The government criticized social media platform X for mishandling hoax bomb threats affecting over 150 flights.
The government has blasted social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for its handling of hoax bomb threats to domestic and international flights in the recent days. Over the past eight days, more than 150 flights have received fake threats, causing widespread disruption and security concerns. The affected airlines include Akasa, Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, operating from Delhi to various destinations.
A virtual meeting was held on Tuesday evening, chaired by Joint Secretary Sanket S Bhondve, to address the issue, reports NDTV. Airline officials from Air India and Vistara participated in the meeting, along with representatives from social media platforms X and Meta.
According to the report, the government criticized X for its role in the situation, stating that its actions amount to "abetting the crime." This came after the Delhi Police struggled to obtain user ID or domain details of X accounts involved in posting threat messages to flights.
In response to the crisis, cyber security agencies have suspended or blocked around 10 social media handles, mostly on X, since Monday. The agencies have identified common phrases used in the fake threats, such as "bombs" and "blood will spread everywhere," and are working to track down the primary email registration and geographical locations of these threat-issuing handles.
A 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh has been detained by the Mumbai Police in connection with the hoax bomb threats posted on X targeting three flights originating from Mumbai on October 14.
Centre's action amid rising bomb threats
The government has assured that law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases of bomb threats against airlines and are closely monitoring the situation. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu stated that the government is taking the matter seriously and working to prevent such incidents in the future.
The government is planning legislative actions, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list.
Amendments are being proposed to The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA), 1982, whereby the perpetrators could be arrested and a probe can be initiated without a court order for offences when an aircraft is on the ground.
Also, changes are being planned to aircraft security rules to ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators of bomb threats to flights.