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A Honduran national who allegedly tried to enter the cockpit of a United Airlines flight after claiming he had a bomb had been deported from the United States twice, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto was taken into custody by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after United Airlines Flight 2174 arrived at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport following a disturbing incident in the air Monday night.
The suspect allegedly said he had a bomb, leading the pilots to issue a reported hijacking alert, the Daily Mail reported. DHS separately said Gomez-Alberto was accused of trying to gain access to the cockpit.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, a Honduran national whom DHS says was deported twice, was arrested after allegedly trying to breach the cockpit of a United Airlines flight on Nov. 9, 2026. (Courtesy Department of Homeland Security)
DHS said Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, placed a detainer on Gomez-Alberto Tuesday, one day after his arrest.
“On November 10, 2026, ICE lodged a detainer for Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after he attempted to enter the cockpit during a flight,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News.
A United Airlines plane shown in flight. The airline said Flight 2174 reached New Orleans safely after a passenger disturbance on Nov. 9, 2026. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
DHS said Border Patrol first apprehended Gomez-Alberto after he unlawfully entered the United States near El Indio, Texas, in September 2011. He was detained again near Columbus, New Mexico, in October 2014, and deported after both incidents.
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Border Patrol arrested him once more in 2019 following an alleged attempt to cross the border near San Ysidro, California.
The United flight was traveling to New Orleans from New Jersey. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to DHS, ICE released Gomez-Alberto in January 2020 after an immigration judge ordered that he remain free while his removal case proceeded.
Local news reports, citing the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, said Gomez-Alberto was booked on charges including communicating false information about planned arson and terrorizing. DHS also cited allegations involving a bomb threat, a terroristic threat and disorderly conduct.
United Airlines confirmed the onboard disturbance in a separate statement to News Media.
“United flight 2174, traveling from Newark to New Orleans, landed safely after a disruptive incident involving a passenger. Law enforcement met the aircraft when it arrived,” United media relations said.
The airline said the aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 9 with 46 passengers and six crew members aboard.
United directed further questions to local authorities. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office had not responded to News Media’s request for comment.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the United States,” the DHS spokesperson said.
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