Bomb threats disrupt Changsha flights
False calls to airport feed security fears in wake of suspected terror attack in Tiananmen Square
Police have detained a man suspected of making false bomb threats that affected four flights from or bound for Changsha in central Hunan province yesterday afternoon.
China Central Television reported that Changsha Huanghua International Airport received warnings from a single suspect of possible bombs aboard the four flights. The identity and motive of the suspect remained unknown. The airport could not be reached for comment.
The incident came just days after a car crash and explosion in Tiananmen Square which authorities described as a "terrorist attack". Public security officials are also on a state of heightened alert ahead of the Communist Party plenum planned to start next week.
A Beijing Capital Airlines flight from Changsha to Hangzhou , a Southern Airlines flight from Harbin to Changsha and a Xiamen Airlines flight from Lanzhou to Changsha were forced to alter their flight plans after the airport received threatening phone calls, according to CCTV and airlines.
"There has been a series of threats recently [targeting civilian airlines]," a Xiamen Airlines representative said.
A Sichuan Airlines flight from Fuzhou left for Changsha after an inspection found no dangerous items on the aircraft or in the passengers' belongings, an airline representative said.