Israeli Passenger Removed From Colombia Flight Over Bomb Joke

By Marcus Moraes February 24, 2017

(JTA) — An Israeli passenger was removed from a domestic flight in Colombia after he reportedly joked about detonating a bomb due to a long delay, according to local media.

Yossef Bronfen, 49, was aboard a Latam Airlines flight at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota earlier this week for seven hours awaiting departure when he apparently lost patience and spoke about bombing the Barranquilla-bound plane, according to some passengers sitting near him in the rear of the aircraft. They said he was joking.

But the Chilean-Brazilian airline was not amused.

“While boarding, a disruptive passenger threatened to detonate an explosive artifact after which all security protocols established by the company were activated,” the firm said in a statement.

Some passengers said they had been on and off the plane three times during the delay.

“They told us the airplane was having a technical failure and we had to wait another while when the Israeli, who was in the back of the airplane, shouted he was going to detonate a bomb. I think he was fed up with the delay,” Andres Fonseca, who witnessed the incident, told the local media.

After the removal, some passengers decided to abort the trip and the flight with 137 passengers continued on its way to Barranquilla. Local authorities said Bronfen was facing deportation to Israel.

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