Densus 88 Investigates Bomb Threat to Saudia Airlines Hajj Plane

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police's Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) Antiterror Squad is investigating a bomb threat sent via email targeting Saudia Airlines flight SV-5276, which was carrying Hajj pilgrims. Investigators have yet to find any suspicious objects on board.

"It is still ongoing, just investigation and coordination efforts," Densus 88 spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Mayndra Eka Wardhana told Tempo on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

Densus 88 is currently delving into the perpetrator's motive and tracing the origin of the threat. Mayndra stated that authorities are considering both domestic and foreign sources for the email. "We are exploring if there is a potential threat from within the country, or if there is a threat from abroad," he explained.

Investigators suspect the sender may be a foreign national. Thus, Densus 88 is coordinating with Saudi Arabian authorities. "The Saudi side is also developing the threat because the target is Saudi's asset. However, it is indeed targeted towards Indonesia, towards Jakarta," Mayndra added.

The threat was received via email on Tuesday morning, June 17, 2025, around 07:30 AM Jakarta time, sent by an unknown individual directly referencing the SV-5276 aircraft and its Indonesian Hajj pilgrim group.

Preliminary examinations by Densus 88 have not uncovered any physical evidence of a bomb or suspicious object on the aircraft. "For now, no physical evidence of the threat has been found," Mayndra confirmed.

The North Sumatra Regional Police have revealed details regarding the motive behind the bomb threat. Saudia Airlines flight SV-5276, en route from Jeddah to Jakarta with Indonesian Hajj pilgrims, made an emergency landing at Kualanamu International Airport, Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 10:50 AM WIB.

North Sumatra Regional Police Chief Inspector General Whisnu Hermawan Februanto said that the bomb threat message sent to the pilot contained ideological and terrorist-sounding content. It referenced a plan to use pipe bombs and IEDs, linking them to foreign political protests.

"The message mentioned individuals Ajmal Kasab and Savukku Shankar, as well as groups suspected of transnational affiliation," Whisnu said during a press conference at Kualanamu Airport on Tuesday evening, as quoted from his written statement.

According to Whisnu, the threat also designated Soekarno-Hatta Airport as the intended explosion point, mentioning triggering technologies such as RFID and EFP (Explosively Formed Projectile). The full content of the threat is currently being analyzed by the team.

All 442 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims on the Saudia Airlines flight were safely evacuated by the North Sumatra Regional Police. The passengers, comprising 207 men and 235 women, have since been transported back to Jakarta.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian contributing reports

Editor's Choice: Saudia Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Medan Due to Security Threat

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