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Ryanair Flight Is Escorted by Military Jet to Stansted Airport in U.K. | |
(35 minutes later) | |
LONDON — A Royal Air Force fighter jet escorted a Ryanair plane to Stansted Airport, north of London, on Wednesday after the flight from Lithuania was diverted because of a security threat, the airline and the authorities said. | |
The police said that the plane, which originated in Kaunas, Lithuania, had landed safely around 8:55 a.m., and that passengers had been escorted off the flight. Ryanair later said a “suspected hoax security alert” had been flagged by the Lithuanian authorities. | |
Flights were briefly halted, the airport said, but were now “arriving and departing as normal.” | |
It was not immediately clear why the jet had required a military escort. Loud noises were reported in the Suffolk area of England, but the police said the sounds had come from a military plane. | |
“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. | |
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 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. | 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. | 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. |