Man arrested for raising false alarm on board KQ flight
What you need to know:
- All other passengers and crew also disembarked for a re-screening.
A man has been arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi for allegedly raising a false alarm in a Johannesburg-bound Kenya Airways plane forcing the flight to abort take off.
The busy airport was momentarily put on lockdown after the scare.
The passenger reportedly shouted 'bomb' during an argument, causing a scare in the plane which was taxing ready for take-off.
The man has been handed over to the Anti-Terror Police Unit for further interrogation as the airport remained on temporary lockdown after all flights were grounded for re-screening.
Kenya Airways, in a statement, confirmed the incident which they termed as an ‘unfortunate bomb scare’.
“KQ would like to report that the passenger who raised the bomb scare has been taken into police custody. All the other passengers and crew have disembarked for security re-screening and the aircraft is undergoing extensive security checks,” KQ’s statement read in part.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) later announced that normal operations had resumed.
“Jambo! We would like to clarify to the general public that flight operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport are up and running,” said KAA on Twitter.
