A flight attendant from Argentina is facing the possibility of serving six years in prison after she was charged with making a bomb threat against a plane headed for Miami because her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend were traveling on it.
After an Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330 aircraft was evacuated on the runway at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires three weeks ago due to a fake bomb threat, Daniela Carbone, 47, is accused of aggravated coercion, public intimidation, and obstruction of public service.
According to the prosecution, Carbone made the bomb threat in an effort to prevent her ex-boyfriend from traveling to Miami to visit his relatives. Along with his new girlfriend, who works as a flight attendant for the same airline, the ex-boyfriend was a flight attendant for the government-run flag carrier of Argentina.
According to local media, Carbone and her colleague had been dating for the previous five years before splitting up about two months ago.
The bomb threat is said to have been made by Carbone using her daughter’s smartphone and a temporary SIM card:
“Tell the little captain that we put three bombs in the Miami,” the threat said.
“Tell him to stop f**king around with politics and check the plane because they are going to be blown to smithereens”.
Following the threat on May 21, the Airbus A330 was forced to land at Buenos Aires Airport and all 270 passengers and 12 crew members were forced to disembark onto the runway while police searched for explosives.
Aerolineas Argentinas has already terminated Carbone’s employment and has been detained since May 28 while authorities decide whether there is sufficient information to file charges against the former flight attendant.
The Anti-Terrorist Operational Unit of Argentina detained her at the order of a federal judge.
Aerolineas Argentinas says the threat has caused “severe economic and reputational damage to the company”. A spokesperson confirmed that Carbone had worked for the airline for 24 years and had been an instructor for the past 14 years.
