Spanish fighter jet intercepted an easyJet flight after an 18-year-old passenger faked a bomb threat on social media
- The F/A-18 Hornet escorted the easyJet Airbus A319 to its destination in Menorca, Spain
- 18-year-old hoaxer, who was travelling on the London-to-Menorca flight with five friends, was arrested at Menorca airport and is awaiting a court hearing
An easyJet flight was intercepted by a Spanish fighter jet on Sunday after a teenage passenger faked a bomb threat on social media, police said.
The 18-year-old hoaxer, who was travelling on the London-to-Menorca flight with five friends, was arrested at Menorca airport, spent Sunday night in jail, and is awaiting a court hearing, Spanish police told Reuters on Monday.
On board footage of the intercept shows the Spanish F/A-18 Hornet rocking its wings at the easyJet Airbus A319, a military signal that a plane has been intercepted and its pilot should follow course.
In the video, one of the passengers can be heard saying: “Why is it doing that, is it just showing off?”
The easyJet plane landed safely in Menorca, a holiday island in Spain, just before 5pm local time, around half an hour late. It was then escorted to a security area in Menorca airport where passengers left the plane one-by-one over a period of two hours, police told Reuters.