A flight was forced to be postponed for five hours after passengers received a horrifying image that caused mass panic.
The bizarre scenes took place on a Turkish AnadoluJet flight before takeoff when multiple passengers onboard received an image of a place crash via Apple AirDrop.
The service allows Apple users to send images and other files to other Apple devices located nearby.
The distressing images were received as the Boeing 737 plane, which was due to fly from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, was in the process of taxiing to the runway.
The files that were sent showed images of a Turkish Airlines plane that crashed in the Netherlands in 2009 as well as a plane crash in the United States from 2013.
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One woman is reported to have fainted, while another passenger had a panic attack after receiving the pictures. Passengers then alerted the onboard crew to the situation.
The plane’s captain made the decision to cancel take-off and return to the gate. All 160 passengers and the crew were removed from the plane, and luggage was searched.
Nine young Israelis around the age of 18 were arrested and questioned by police. If charged with disseminating false information, they could face up to three years in prison in Israel for their prank.
A spokesperson for Israel Airports Authority confirmed to Reuters that the incident was not a cyberattack.
Following a 5-hour delay, the plane was inspected again and the flight was cleared to resume its original journey. Passengers were given the option to board or stay in Israel.
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