Flight makes emergency landing in Barcelona after woman spots fake 'bomb threat' on passenger's phone
Footage shared online shows dozens of emergency services and airport security staff surrounding the passenger jet on the runway at Barcelona Airport
Spanish police forced a passenger plane to land in Barcelona after a woman allegedly spotted a fellow passenger making bomb threats on his phone.
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The Turkish Airlines plane departed from Istanbul airport on Thursday morning with 148 passengers and seven crew members on board, landing at El Prat Airport just before 11am.
Spanish and French warplanes shadowed the jet over the Mediterranean Sea after a threat was detected as it neared the coast of Italy at around 10am, according to local media reports.
The plane circled several times before landing before police surrounded it, boarding it shortly after.
Everyone onboard the Airbus A-321 was reviewed by investigators, according to local reports.
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The woman who spotted the bomb threat message said she had seen another passenger make the threat on their phone.
However, no explosive device or any other threats were discovered on board, with the alert lifted shortly after 1.30pm.
Footage shared online showed dozens of police officers and airport security staff, and an ambulance on the runway.
The government of Catalonia said it "activated the Aerocat plan [special plan for aeronautical emergencies] to monitor the risk situation on a flight landed at El Prat."
Following an extensive inspection of the aircraft, its luggage, all passengers were eventually confirmed safe.It revealed that the false alarm was sparked following a message written on a passenger’s mobile phone, according to local reports.
The Guardia Civil has launched a probe to identify whoever is responsible for the message as it establishes the facts.