Manchester Airport On Full Alert: Jets Scrambled To Escort Plane With Possible ‘Device’
Manchester Airport in the United Kingdom is on high alert as military jets were scrambled to guide plane with possible “device” on board to runway. The commercial airplane was traveling from Qatar, according to the Mirror. The pilot informed Manchester Airport staff that a “possible device was on board the plane” The images from flight radar show RAF jets escorting the plane towards the runway. The plane is now on the ground and the passengers appear to still be inside the plane.
David Kaminski-Morrow, air transport editor of Flightglobal had this to say about the plane with a possible device on board at Manchester Airport:
“In situations like these, the plan is always to get the aircraft down at the nearest available landing site. It could be that a threat could have been phoned in and passed on to the captain. It could be that someone on board has spotted something. In any event, no one wants to take any chances.”
Although terrorism is a concern, there is currently no evidence linking the possible device on board the plane from Qatar with any specific threat or terrorist group. Police Chief Superintendent John O’Hare told Fox News, “We don’t know how genuine this threat is but it is absolutely vital we deal with the situation as a full emergency.”
A man has reportedly been escorted off the Qatar Airways plane.
Qatar Airways has now confirmed that Flight QR23 is the plane escorted by scrambled RAF military jets. It remains unknown if flight attendants received a verbal threat about a potentially destructive device on board or saw something suspicious on the plane bound for Manchester Airport. Fox News has now confirmed that an unnamed man has been detained on suspicion of a bomb hoax on Flight QR23.
Armed police outside the plane — Josh Hartley (@JoshHartley_) August 5, 2014
pic.twitter.com/AOGbTHE6Ts — Josh Hartley (@JoshHartley_) August 5, 2014
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Image shows man being escorted off plane at Manchester Airport. Pic credit @MattPeterC http://t.co/jUSankfuDw pic.twitter.com/AQleq72uFU
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 5, 2014
Picture from inside #QR23 before landing RT @JoshHartley_: Being escorted in pic.twitter.com/hWsA2gvC4U
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 5, 2014
#QR23 has been parked at remote location at Manchester airport. Flights are landing and taking off again. pic.twitter.com/jc0RRprcjv
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 5, 2014
— Josh Hartley (@JoshHartley_) August 5, 2014
BREAKING: Police: 1 person detained at Manchester Airport on suspicion of bomb hoax.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 5, 2014
Check back with The Inquisitr for more details about this breaking news story as more information becomes available. [Image Via: Twitter / @SteCampbell_]
