A Qatar Airways jet was escorted into Manchester Airport by fighter jets this morning after a man made a bomb threat aboard the plane.
Authorities initially believed that the incident was an act of terrorism. Now, however, an official said that they were probably dealing with an “idiot” and not a terrorist.
A passenger has been taken off the plane by officers at @manairport. We will work to get others off as swiftly and safely as possible.
— G M Police (@gmpolice) August 5, 2014
A man who was onboard the plane at @manairport has been arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat.
— G M Police (@gmpolice) August 5, 2014
After the male passenger started making bomb threats, Britain’s Ministry of Defence launched military jets to escort the plane to Manchester Airport.
Qatar Airways flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester had 269 passengers and 13 crew members on board.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement: “We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance. The aircraft was escorted to Manchester where it landed safely. This incident is now being handled by the civilian authorities.”
Flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester landed safely this afternoon after the crew on board had received a threat during the flight.
— Manchester Airport (@manairport) August 5, 2014
Runway operations were temporarily suspended at Manchester while the incident was dealt with and satisfactorily resolved by the authorities.
— Manchester Airport (@manairport) August 5, 2014
The airport reopened after a twenty five minute runway closure.
— Manchester Airport (@manairport) August 5, 2014
A number of incoming flights were diverted to nearby airports. Passenger safety remains the priority of the airline and airport.
— Manchester Airport (@manairport) August 5, 2014
(Image via Wikipedia)
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