A Ryanair flight from Vienna was intercepted by fighter jets of the British Royal Air Force amid an incident that involved two passengers of said flight being detained by British counterterrorism police before being released without charge.
The pair – a 34-year-old man from Kuwait and a 48-year-old man from Italy – were held by officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) under terrorism legislation after a "suspicious object" - "later said to be a mobile phone", according to AFP - was discovered in the plane's toilet.
"We understandably take any reports of suspicious objects or behaviour on flights very seriously and thankfully on this occasion there was no cause for concern," said Detective Superintendent Andy Waldie, head of ERSOU's Counter Terrorism Policing unit.
Prior to arrival at its destination, the aircraft was intercepted by a pair of British Royal Air Force's Typhoon fighter jets from a base in Lincolnshire, and was then "escorted safely to Stansted" Airport, as the RAF put it.
A spokesman for Ryanair said that the plane's crew had been alerted to a "potential security threat on board".
"In line with procedures, the captain informed UK authorities and continued to London Stansted, where the aircraft landed normally and taxied to a remote stand where passengers disembarked safely," the airline said. "Passengers in London Stansted waiting to depart to Vienna were transferred to a spare aircraft to minimise the delay to their flight."
