ARMED cops have rushed to East Midlands Airport after a passenger on a Jet2 flight claimed he had an “explosive device”.
Officers surrounded the plane which was bound for Antalya, Turkey, on Monday evening.
Leicester Police said they were “informed of a report of a male aboard an aircraft at EMA who stated he was in possession of an explosive device" at 5.16pm.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an explosive substance after he had safely left the aircraft.
Following the arrest, the plane was fully searched but no explosive device was found onboard.
Police said there was no suggestion the threat made was viable.
Pictures taken by a passenger onboard the flight show cops surrounding the plane accompanied by sniffer dogs.
The flight was due to take off at 4.45pm but eventually left the airport at 8.18pm, according to FlightRadar24.
The man who was arrested has now been released on bail and an investigation is ongoing.
A Jet2 spokesperson said: “The matter is being dealt with by the police.
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"We can confirm that flight LS653 from East Midlands to Antalya returned to stand earlier this evening so police could offload a disruptive passenger.
"The flight has now departed, and we would like to apologise to everyone onboard for any inconvenience or upset caused by this unforeseen incident."
Simon Hinchley, Operations Director at EMA, said: “Due to a security incident, a passenger aircraft has returned to East Midlands Airport.
"The matter is being dealt with by the police.”
A statement from the police said: "Police were informed of a report of a male aboard an aircraft at East Midlands Airport who stated he was in possession of an explosive device.
"The aircraft was on the ground at the time of the incident. Officers worked with airport staff and with the aircraft crew to provide an immediate response to the report.
"In the interests of public and officer safety, armed officers were also deployed to the area of the aircraft.
"Following instruction, the man safely left the aircraft where he was arrested on suspicion of possession of an explosive substance.
"Following the arrest, the aircraft has been fully searched. No explosive device has been found onboard and there is no suggestion that the threat made is viable."
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