Hackers got into the public address system at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania and used it to play a pro-Palestine political message in an attack that also hit three Canadian airports.
On Tuesday, travelers heard the message “[Expletive] Netanyahu and Trump, Turkish hacker Cyber Islam is here” and “free free Palestine,” according to a video posted on TikTok by witness “LalaLarissaaa.”
Harrisburg International Airport spokesperson Scott Miller told WGAL-TV that “it was not a threat, that’s the important thing.”
Airport technology staff took down the message and notified police, who are now investigating the cyberattack.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the incident was “absolutely unacceptable and understandably scared travelers.” He added that he, the Federal Aviation Administration and airport officials are working to figure out what happened.
Canadian airport regulator Transport Canada reported similar incidents with similar messages played at Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport in the Pacific coast province of British Columbia and at Windsor International Airport in Ontario across the border from Detroit, according to CNN.
The Canadian agency is “working closely with federal security partners, including law enforcement, to ensure there were no impacts on the safety and security of airport operations, and to mitigate disruption from similar incidents in the future,” Transport Canada told CNN.
