A Bulgarian passenger plane that took off from Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday was forced to return to the airport and land under Israel Air Force escort due to security concerns.

The Bulgarian Air flight took off from Ben-Gurion Airport and shortly thereafter the flight's captain noticed a malfunction of some sort and requested to return and land.

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The flight circled in the air over the sea in order to reduce the amount of excess fuel on board, and then returned to Ben-Gurion Airport under escort by Israeli fighter jets.

Sources at the Airports Authority said that the flight returned after the pilot noticed a technical malfunction.

The Airports Authority is currently performing checks on the flight and the passengers. According to authorities at Ben-Gurion, the tests will continue until it is proven without doubt that the plane returned due to a technical malfunction.