Several major news organizations did not report on the arrest of a Honduran man accused of making a bomb threat and trying to enter the cockpit of a United Airlines flight, according to a review of their coverage.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto was arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after United Flight 2174 landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday night. He had allegedly claimed he had a bomb and tried to get into the cockpit during the flight.
Transcripts reviewed by Grabien showed no mention of the incident on CNN or MS NOW through Wednesday. ABC and NBC also left the arrest out of their national morning and evening newscasts.
ABC did cover other aviation incidents, including an emergency landing by a United flight from Tokyo following a disruptive passenger and a Frontier Airlines flight that diverted to O’Hare after a plumbing problem caused water to flood the aircraft. The network also reported on an 8-year-old Haitian boy separated from his family by ICE agents in San Diego.
As of Thursday morning, a search of The New York Times’ website found no story about the arrest.
David Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, said the case warranted broader scrutiny, including questions about how Gomez-Alberto reentered the country and boarded the plane. He criticized the lack of coverage, saying the public deserved more reporting on possible threats to its safety.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE placed a detainer on Gomez-Alberto on Tuesday, following his arrest. The agency said he had tried to enter the cockpit during the flight.
DHS said Border Patrol first apprehended Gomez-Alberto near El Indio, Texas, in September 2011, after he entered the United States illegally. He was removed from the country. He was apprehended again near Columbus, New Mexico, in October 2014 and deported once more.
In 2019, Border Patrol arrested him after another attempted illegal entry, this time near San Ysidro, California. DHS said ICE released him from custody in January 2020 after an immigration judge ordered his release while removal proceedings were pending.
Gomez-Alberto reportedly said in an asylum application that he feared being killed if returned to Honduras and identified himself as transgender.
Local news reports citing the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said he was booked on charges of communicating false information about planned arson and terrorizing. DHS also listed bomb-threat, terroristic-threat and disorderly-conduct offenses in its statement.
CNN, MS NOW, The New York Times, ABC News and NBC News had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
