Ryanair flight forced to make emergency landing in Belarus after 'bomb alert' and fighter jets scrambled
A RYANAIR flight was forced to make an emergency landing after fighter jets were scrambled to a "bomb alert" today.
Once on the ground in Belarus a journalist travelling on the Athens to Vilnius flight was arrested.
It is thought the threats of a bomb on board the plane may have been to get the aircraft to land so Roman Protasevich could be detained.
The 26-year-old is said to be an enemy of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
An official Belarus Telegram channel claimed they saved Europe from a terrorist incident, in bringing down the Ryanair plane bound for the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The Belarus defence ministry confirmed the detention of Protasevich, who had been living in exile.
Human rights centre Vesna also said: ”Roman Protasevich was detained. He was on the Ryanair flight Athens-Vilnius.”
Opposition politicians say that the plane was forced to land in Minsk after a "bogus threat" that an explosive was on board.
Leader of the opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, widely seen to have won last year’s presidential election against Lukashenko before being forced into exile, said: “It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain the activist and blogger Roman Protasevich.
“The regime endangered the safety of passengers on board and all civil aviation for the sake of reprisals against a man who was the editor of the largest Belarusian independent Telegram channels."
EMERGENCY LANDING
Belarus is the last country in Europe to use the death penalty.
Tikhanovskaya warned: “From now on, not a single person flying over Belarus can be sure of their safety.
“After all, the regime is abusing the rules of air traffic in order to capture those who disagree. "
Protasevich had said that at Athens airport a bald Russian-speaking middle-aged man had attempted to film the main page of his passport. He then turned and left.
NEXTA was closely involved in reporting a wave of opposition protests that last year threatened to topple Lukashenko, before he was given backing by Vladimir Putin
A message being retweeted in Russia read: ‘Detention of Protasevich (NEXTA) is a splendid, beautiful, complicated, (operation) in the best traditions of the Soviet KGB, the work of the Belorussian CHEKA (state security). You are cool!”
NEXTA reported: “Protasevich was on board a flight heading from Athens to Vilnius. He faces the death penalty in Belarus.
“The Lukashists [derogatory term for supporters of embattled President Lukashenko] seized the plane in order to arrest Protasevich," the channel said.
The Belarus authorities claimed its bomb-disposal squad was examining the plane, but it was later reported no explosives were found.
The official Minsk version said: “Belarus defended Europe. Information has been received that the plane has been mined.”
The plane had almost left Belarus air space but was forced to land in Minsk. The situation was immediately reported to the President.
“Lukashenko gave an unconditional command to turn the plane around and receive it.
“In this situation, the most important thing is the safety and lives of people.”
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