Man shouts 'Allahu Akbar' on Ryanair flight, warns of bomb on board

A man has been arrested on Saturday after he incited a terror alert on a Ryanair flight by shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and warning that there was an explosive on board.

Pic courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: A man has been booked on Saturday after he incited a terror alert on a Ryanair flight by shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and warning of explosive on board.

The 51-year-old Belgian was reportedly travelling with eight male friends. Following the incident, all eight of them were thrown off the flight at Brussels Airport.

A bomb squad reached the spot after the crew members alerted the police. They undertook a search operation by evacuating the fellow passengers.

The flight was allowed to depart only after nothing suspicious could be found. It took off at around 9.25 AM while its scheduled departure time was two hours ahead.

All the suspects were later interrogated. Hailing from Wallonia, the 51-year-old is likely to face prosecution for threatening a terror attack.

"The flight commander refused to take the nine people," INDEPENDENT quoted federal police spokesman Peter De Waele as saying. "One of them was a stupid joker and called 'Allahu Akbar'," he added.

A Ryanair spokesman said, "The crew of this flight from Brussels to Madrid requested police assistance after a number of passengers became disruptive prior to departure. Police removed and detained the individuals before the aircraft departed to Madrid."

He further added, "We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police."