On Thursday, an Israel-bound commercial airliner en route from Prague was forced to divert to Thessaloniki, Greece, after the flight crew reported that an unruly passenger attempted to forcibly enter the cockpit.
Air marshals onboard the El Al flight, LY2522, detained an individual described by media reports as being "most likely an Arab" until the diversionary landing could be completed. The suspect was subsequently handed over to Greek law enforcement officials.
The airline said in a press release that "El Al takes the incident seriously and takes all the necessary measures according to the procedures and the law in coordination with the relevant enforcement authorities." The statement further articulated that the company has "zero tolerance for violence and will continue to take care of the safety and security of our passengers."
The aircraft continued to its scheduled destination at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after the matter was resolved.
