London: British police charged a man on Saturday over a bomb hoax that prevented a Dubai-bound Emirates airliner from taking off from London's Heathrow airport.
Police had arrested three men over the incident on Friday night. Robert Fowles, 58, was charged with making a bomb hoax and being drunk on an aircraft. Alexander McGinn, 48, was also charged with being drunk. The third man was released.
Security searches found no threat to the plane.
Airports around the world have been on high alert since a failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound plane last month. Britain announced tighter security measures this week, with plans to use full body scanners at Heathrow within three weeks.
Witnesses told Sky Television that armed police with sniffer dogs boarded flight EK004 and swiftly arrested the men after the crew reported the incident.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, January 10, 2010, 13:53