A Honduran man accused of trying to reach the cockpit of a United Airlines flight after allegedly saying he had a bomb had been deported from the United States twice, the Department of Homeland Security said.
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. The flight had experienced a disturbance in the air.
Gomez-Alberto allegedly made a bomb threat, and the pilots reportedly issued a hijacking alert. DHS said he was also accused of trying to enter the cockpit.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Gomez-Alberto on Tuesday, following his arrest, DHS said.
Border Patrol first apprehended him near El Indio, Texas, in September 2011, after he entered the country illegally. He was deported. He was apprehended again near Columbus, New Mexico, in October 2014, and removed from the country a second time, according to DHS.
Border Patrol arrested him once more in 2019 after he attempted to enter the United States 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.
Local media, citing the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, reported that Gomez-Alberto was booked on charges of communicating false information about planned arson and terrorizing. DHS also listed a bomb threat, a terroristic threat and disorderly conduct.
United said the flight, traveling from Newark to New Orleans, landed safely after a passenger caused a disruption. Law enforcement officers met the aircraft after it arrived.
The airline said the plane was a Boeing 737 MAX 9 carrying 46 passengers and six crew members. United referred further questions to local authorities. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
