Fighter Jet Intercepts SimpleJet Flight After Fake Bomb Threat

A Spanish fighter jet intercepted a business easyJet flight between London, England and Menorca, Spain. The fighter jet escorted the easyJet airplane all the way in which to its island vacation spot on Sunday, after an adolescent on board the flight reportedly posted a pretend bomb menace to social media.

“easyJet can confirm flight EZY8303 from London Gatwick to Menorca on 3 July was escorted by military aircraft while landing in Menorca and delayed disembarking due to precautionary security checks. The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority and we would like to thank passengers for their understanding,” wrote easyJet spokesperson, Paula Peralta, to Gizmodo in an e-mail.

An 18-year previous British nationwide who allegedly made the false menace was touring with a bunch of 5 associates. The teenager was arrested in Spain and is awaiting a court docket listening to, a Spanish Civil Guard spokesperson mentioned to Reuters. The Spanish Civil Guard didn’t instantly reply to Gizmodo’s request for remark.

The flight landed safely on the Menorca airport about half-hour later than its scheduled arrival, in a safety screening space away from the principle terminal. Once landed, over the course of about two hours, passengers have been allowed off the airplane one-by-one and have been requested by officers to determine their baggage. All baggage was then inspected by bomb detection canines and bomb disposal consultants, reported Reuters. Other flights leaving Menorca confronted delays and modifications due to the incident.

“The passengers were disembarked and established protocol followed until police were able to confirm it was a false bomb threat, and the person responsible was identified on social media along with five other companions as witnesses. They were taken to a police station so officers could clarify the situation,” mentioned the Spanish Civil Guard in a press release to The Guardian.

A passenger on the flight recorded a video of the Spanish Civil Guard jet flying simply exterior the airplane’s window. The fighter craft could be seen rocking aspect to aspect, waggling its wings, which is a military signal used to point interception.

Based on the orange wing ideas within the video, Reuters reported that the easyJet flight was an A-319 plane, which normally carries about 120-150 passengers.