Plane forced to turn around after flight attendant sees horrifying text on passenger's phone

A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark was diverted after a flight attendant allegedly saw a text on a passenger's phone claiming they were going to hijack the aircraft.

According to audio obtained by CBS News, a member of United Airlines Flight 1681's cabin crew had seen a message on a passenger's mobile phone that suggested they were planning to take over the aircraft by force. The flight attendant did not engage with the passenger in question but instead informed the captain, who put the flight into lockdown while it returned to Las Vegas.

"The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft," one of Flight 1681's pilots can be heard saying in audio shared via the news outlet.

"We went into lockdown and returned to Vegas."

The aircraft was forced to turn back to Harry Reid International Airport (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Flight data shows that the plane was airborne for just over an hour before it landed back at Harry Reid International Airport on 24 October. Passengers were later flown out to Newark the following day.

Further audio obtained via ATC.com revealed that the passenger was 'unaware' that the plane was heading back to Las Vegas.

PEOPLE later reported that a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats or conveying false information concerning acts of terrorism.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is said to be investigating the incident after receiving reports of a 'passenger disturbance'.

While it is currently unclear whether or not the threat was real or a hoax, it is illegal to make false claims about attempts to 'destroy, damage, or disable' an aircraft.

According to the US Department of Justice, the maximum penalty for declarations which are deemed 'malicious or with reckless disregard for the safety of human life' is five years in prison or a $5000 fine.

Let this be a reminder that joking about terrorism onboard a plane is not a good idea (Getty Stock Images)

This also applies to terrorism-related jokes made inside the airport, as a US man was previously detained at an airport in Florida after reportedly joking that security 'had missed a bomb in his bag'.

Meanwhile, a 59-year-old man in India was arrested in 2023 after allegedly calling in a fake bomb threat in order to delay a flight which he was late for.

Let this be a reminder that it's not worth making jokes related to terrorism, hijackings or bomb threats while at the airport.