Librarian jailed after making hoax bomb threat so he wouldn't miss flight from Gatwick

A librarian who made a hoax bomb threat in an attempt to catch his flight from Gatwick Airport to the US has been jailed.

Jacob Meir Abdellak, 47, was running late for the Norwegian flight to Los Angeles – so he decided to contact the police to report a bomb threat.

The anonymous call was made at 5.47am on May 11, just eight minutes before the flight was due to depart.

It resulted in a full rescreening of all passengers and take-off being delayed by 90 minutes.

Investigations by Gatwick Airport staff revealed that Abdellak had been significantly late for his flight.

When he was denied boarding the aircraft, he became abusive towards staff.

He was told to return on another date to rearrange his flight.

It was later confirmed that the telephone number he used to make the call was the same number linked to his booking.

Abdellak, who is from France and lives in Hackney, east London, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on May 22 as he attempted to board another flight to the US.

He was charged with communicating false information regarding a noxious substance likely to create serious risk to human health.

He initially denied making the hoax call but pleaded guilty shortly before a trial was due to begin at Lewes Crown Court.

Abdellak was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and required to pay a £140 victim surcharge.

“This was a quite ridiculous decision made by Abdellak, who fabricated an extremely serious allegation purely for his own benefit,” Gatwick Police Chief Inspector Marc Clothier said.

He added it was “the worst decision” the defendant could have made.

“The consequences of making allegations about bombs, guns or similar at densely populated locations such as airports are well documented.

“Abdellak’s sentence serves as a warning to others that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and offenders will be dealt with robustly,” Inspector Clothier continued.

A Norwegian spokesperson said: “We treat all security threats very seriously and we work with the police and authorities to ensure the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft at all times.”