A Honduran man who had been deported from the United States twice was arrested after allegedly threatening to bomb a flight from Newark, New Jersey, and trying to enter its cockpit, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto was taken into custody by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after United Flight 2174 arrived Monday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The flight’s pilots issued a hijacking alert during the incident.
Gomez-Alberto faces charges of communicating false information about planned arson and terrorizing. Jail records also list a fugitive charge and a charge of simple escape, with arrests recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday.
DHS said Gomez-Alberto has a criminal record that includes state terroristic threats, felony bomb threats, felony threats and disorderly conduct.
Court records show Border Patrol first apprehended him near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2011, after which he was deported. He was deported again after entering the country near Sierra Blanca, Texas, in August 2014.
DHS said Border Patrol arrested Gomez-Alberto in 2019 when he tried to enter the country illegally near San Ysidro. In January 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement released him after an immigration judge ordered his release while removal proceedings were pending.
United Airlines said the flight landed safely after a passenger caused a disruption, and law enforcement met the aircraft when it arrived. The plane had 46 passengers and six crew members.
ICE issued a detainer for Gomez-Alberto following his latest arrest, DHS said.
