The man accused of threatening to bomb a United Airlines flight bound for Louisiana before allegedly trying to enter the cockpit has been identified.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, was arrested Monday night after reportedly claiming he would blow up United Flight 2174 while it was en route to New Orleans.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Gomez-Alberto, a Honduran national who was in the country illegally, allegedly tried to force his way into the cockpit, triggering a hijacking alert.
“Americans should NEVER have to face threats like this, especially from an illegal alien who should not have been in our country in the first place,” the agency said in a statement.
ICE said Gomez-Alberto had previously been deported from the United States twice before Monday’s incident.
Officials told the New York Post that he was removed from the country in Texas in September 2011 and again in New Mexico in October 2014.
According to the outlet, the Department of Homeland Security said Gomez-Alberto re-entered the United States for a third time near the California border town of San Ysidro in 2019. He was arrested again, but a judge released him from ICE custody in January 2020 while he awaited removal proceedings.
DHS told the Post that he had previously faced accusations involving a felony bomb threat, felony terroristic threats under state law and disorderly conduct.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, was arrested Monday night after allegedly threatening to bomb United Flight 2174 as it headed to New Orleans
ICE said Gomez-Alberto, a Honduran national who was in the United States illegally, allegedly tried to reach the cockpit, prompting a hijacking alert
United Flight UA2174 departed Newark International Airport at 9:27 p.m. EST Monday and arrived at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport at 11:16 p.m. CST.
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During the flight, the pilots issued a 7500 transponder alert, which indicates an attempted or actual cockpit breach. Aviation content creator Aaron Rheins said the incident was classified as a Level 4 alert.
According to air traffic control audio reviewed by Rheins, Gomez-Alberto, who reportedly spoke no English, allegedly said he had a bomb inside a backpack during the flight, prompting the emergency alert.
The audio also indicated that the disruptive passenger had “changed into all black” before attempting to reach the cockpit.
Following the alarming incident, crew members moved him to the rear of the plane and kept him seated with them until the aircraft landed safely.
United Airlines confirmed the incident to the Daily Mail, saying that law enforcement officers met the aircraft after it arrived.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the passenger was arrested after the incident.
The remaining passengers were safely escorted off the aircraft and taken to the terminal, the sheriff’s office said.
Gomez-Alberto, who reportedly spoke no English, allegedly said during the flight that he had a bomb in a backpack, triggering the alert
The man, later identified as Gomez-Alberto, was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on accusations of communicating false information about planned arson and terrorizing, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities told the Post that Gomez-Alberto is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center without bail.
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 was carrying 49 passengers and six crew members, according to a United Airlines spokesperson.