Threat To Crash Plane Into Capitol Building Heard By Air Traffic Controllers

A threat to crash a plane into the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. was heard by air traffic controllers in New York. Listen to the audio here:

The digitised voice recording broadcast on air traffic control frequencies on Monday afternoon said: "We are flying a plane into the Capitol on Wednesday. Soleimani will be avenged.'

The Iranian military commander was killed by an airstrike at Baghdad airport on 3 January 2020, with Donald Trump subsequently calling him a 'monster' and claiming a 'lot of lives had been saved by killing him'.

Since then, there have been numerous threats to avenge Soleimani's death, with the latest threat issued on the anniversary of his death.

While the US government does not believe the warning of an attack on the Capitol Building is credible, it is being investigated as a breach of aviation frequencies, according to CBS News.

Sources told the network that the Pentagon and other agencies had been briefed and a message was sent to air traffic controllers on Tuesday, reminding them that any threats or planes deviating from their flight paths should be reported immediately.

The FBI declined to comment on the investigation but said it takes 'all threats of violence to public safety seriously'.

US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper defended the attack last year, claiming it was vital to stop other terrorist activities.

He said: "He's been conducting terrorist activities against us and our coalition partners for over 20 years.

"He has the blood of hundreds of Americans, soldiers, on his hands and wounded thousands more. And then we could talk about all of the mayhem he's caused against the Syrian people, the people of Lebanon. Even his own people in Iran.

"To somehow suggest that he wasn't a legitimate target, I think, is fanciful. He was clearly on the battlefield."

Topics: US News

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey