A Spanish fighter jet escorted an easyJet passenger flight during the last leg of its journey after an 18-year-old made a false bomb threat on board.
According to Ladbible, the easyJet flight from Gatwick, UK, to Menorca, Spain, was intercepted by an F18 combat aircraft as it was about to land on Sunday. A Twitter user shared footage of the extraordinary moment on the microblogging platform, writing: "@easyJet #a319 G-EZAO intercepted by Spanish Air Force on way to Menorca. passengers not being allowed to leave yet."
@easyJet #a319 G-EZAO intercepted by Spanish Air Force on way to Menorca. passengers not being allowed to leave yet. @BigJetTVLIVE @BBCNews @SkyNews @SkyNewsBreak pic.twitter.com/MTWkQnU39x— Ian Leslie (@iandrleslie) July 3, 2022
“The passengers have since disembarked. 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.”
The Mirror later reported that an 18-year-old British citizen was behind the bomb threat that led to the interception. He reportedly posted the threat on social media. He was arrested upon touchdown in Menorca.
“The Civil Guard has arrested an 18-year-old British national as the alleged author of a crime of public disorder in Mahon in Menorca,” the Coast Guard confirmed.
“The threat was said to have been sent on a social media platform. Once the plane landed it was taken to an area away from the main terminal and other aircraft.
“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.”
