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Fighter Jet Seen Escorting Ryanair Flight Into Stansted Airport in U.K. Fighter Jet Seen Escorting Ryanair Flight to Stansted Airport in U.K.
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — A Royal Air Force fighter jet was seen escorting a Ryanair plane into Stansted Airport, north of London, on Wednesday, and the police said a flight from Lithuania had been diverted because of a security alert. LONDON — A Royal Air Force fighter jet was seen escorting a Ryanair plane to Stansted Airport, north of London, on Wednesday after the flight from Lithuania was diverted because of a security alert suspected of being based on a hoax, the airline and the authorities said.
The police said the plane landed safely at around 8:55 a.m. and that passengers had been escorted off the flight. Ryanair later issued a statement saying that the “suspected hoax security alert” had been flagged by the Lithuanian authorities.
Stansted Airport said in a statement that the flight, which originated in Kaunas, Lithuania, had landed safely, where it was met by police officers. Flight operations had been briefly halted, the airport said, but flights were subsequently “arriving and departing as normal.” The police said the plane landed safely around 8:55 a.m. and that passengers had been escorted off the flight.
As photographs and videos of the fighter jet circulated on social media, passengers said on Twitter that flights at the airport had been grounded and were idling on the runways. Stansted Airport said in a statement that the flight, which originated in Kaunas, Lithuania, had landed safely and had been met by police officers. Flights were briefly halted, the airport said, but flights were subsequently “arriving and departing as normal.”
It was not immediately clear why the plane had been escorted to the airport. Loud noises were reported by people in the area, but the police said that the sounds had been produced by a military aircraft. It was not immediately clear why the plane had been escorted to the airport. Loud noises were reported by people in the area, but the police said that the sounds had come from a military aircraft.
“We can now confirm that the loud bangs heard across Suffolk this morning was a sonic boom produced by military aircraft,” the police wrote on Twitter. The police said that several people had called to ask what was causing the loud noise. “We can now confirm that the loud bangs heard across Suffolk this morning was a sonic boom produced by military aircraft,” the police wrote on Twitter. They said that several people had called to ask about the loud noise.
Since the 1970s, Stansted Airport has been the designated facility for receiving flights after security alerts, according to a police press officer.Since the 1970s, Stansted Airport has been the designated facility for receiving flights after security alerts, according to a police press officer.
London has been in a state of vigilance after a string of terrorist attacks. Most recently, in September, 29 people were injured after an attacker left a bomb during morning rush hour on a subway train packed with commuters and schoolchildren at the Parsons Green station. London has been on high alert after a string of terrorist attacks. Most recently, in September, 29 people were injured by a bomb on a subway train at the Parsons Green station during the morning rush hour.
The attack prompted the British authorities to temporarily raise the terrorism threat to the highest possible level, and the police have asked the public to report any suspicious activity.