Sydney
A United Airlines jet bound for Los Angeles turned back to Sydney this week after flight attendants found what seemed to be a bomb threat. An air-sickness bag found in one of the bathrooms had the letters “B O B” scrawled on it, which was taken to mean “bomb on board.” The Sydney airport was shut down, all runways were cleared, and the returning plane was met by hundreds of police and ambulances. Police searched and interviewed everyone on board for hours before concluding that the threat was either a hoax or a misunderstanding. Officials are on high alert for possible terrorism because an al Qaida–linked group recently threatened “pools of blood” unless Australia pulled out of Iraq. Australia has around 900 troops there.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
