STOCKHOLM:
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane was diverted to Sweden on Saturday after a bomb threat, but no explosives were found on board or on a Canadian man detained by police after the plane landed, police said.
Swedish police declined to say if the incident was a hoax. The alert began after a woman in Canada called the police from a payphone to say a man on board had explosives on him.
The Boeing 777 with 273 people on board was diverted to Sweden while en route from Toronto to Karachi.
A Canadian man of Pakistani origin, in his 30s, was detained after the plane landed as the passengers were evacuated. He was later released without any charges.
‘No explosives were found on the plane or on the man. The passengers and crew are back on the plane and it is ready to take off again,’ a spokesman for Stockholm district police said.
Asked if the police were treating the incident as a hoax, he only said the authorities had had to take the threat seriously.
In Canada, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said investigations were ongoing.
‘If it’s judged to be a hoax, the person who called can be charged with public mischief,’ said Sergeant Juli Gagnon. She had no information on the identity of the caller.
Janne Hedlun, another spokesman for Stockholm district police, was quoted by Aftonbladet newspaper as saying the man ‘had no idea’ about why the incident happened.
The plane was to fly to Manchester in England for a change of crew and then resume its flight to Pakistan.
PIA spokesman Syed Sultan Hassan said the plane had 255 passengers on board, including 102 Canadian nationals and 139 Pakistani nationals.
The plane was diverted to Arlanda after Canadian police told the pilot of the threat while the plane was in Swedish airspace.
A spokesman for Arlanda airport said the plane had departed from Toronto. Toronto airport’s website showed the destination of that flight, PK782, was Karachi.
After the plane landed, armed police took position near it to seize the man when the passengers began to disembark to waiting buses. Police said the detention took place calmly.
Sounds more like a prank….if someone was really carrying explosives, they would’ve done something as soon as the plane would land in emergency; instead nothing has happened and police are only searching based on an unverified tip off. This is another attempt at maligning the Pakistani aviation industry
this is very stupid! if there’s a bomb threat, then everyone should be evacuated and the plane should be checked thoroughly. we cant afford to lose another 200+ people just because of careless security lapses!
As usual ADE you are participating quite actively in the nations favorite past time, coming up with your own theory prior to the facts being released. Along with pointing the finger in the direction of some vague impossible to identify “destabilizing figure”. If you want to identify that figure one of these days, here is a little tip. Ask other Pakistanis like yourself to buy a mirror.
Let is SEE what happens first and then pass judgment later.
The pilot did the right thing. In such cases, land as soon as possible.
I am glad that the warning did not come when he was over the Atlantic — although even then he could have diverted to Iceland.
At least PIA landed in Stockholm =D With no flight from Stockholm, many Pakistanis have to travel to Copenhagen to get PIA flights! Shame!
Be Afraid…. Be Very Afraid.
My guess is that the bomb threat was called in by an agent of one of the body scanner companies to insure their continued sales.
Just a thought…..
this is soo stupid! my cousins were on that flight from toronto! geez, why cant the world leave pakistan alone!:( thank god, nothing happened
please check out http://www.islamicsolutions.com/if-it-is-extreme-it-is-not-islam/
And No one is really saying How he was boarded on the plane? isn’t it insufficient security system of Canadian airport?
At least this time not a signle pakistani thinking that this is RAW work. Pakistanis need to realise that the fault line falls unter their own belt no where else.
The woman who called from canada, should come forward and reveal her source of information about the man she has accused otherwise avoid making such calls. .
it is funny how loners from “friendly” countries to our east will spare no opportunity to diss pakistan at any opportunity they get.
I have three words for you: get a life!