Photo: Ryanair
A fake bomb threat was used to divert a Ryanair flight by forcing the aircraft to land in Minsk, Belarus, with the purpose of arresting a dissident journalist who was on board. Fortunately, none of the passengers were harmed, and four Belarusian state officials ended up being charged.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the indictment of four Belarusian government officials for conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy after having diverted the Ryanair Flight 4978 with U.S. citizens on board in May 2021.
The aircraft, carrying more than 100 passengers, was flying on a scheduled route between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania, on the day of May 23, 2021, when air traffic control authorities claimed that there was a serious bomb threat. The airplane landed in Minsk instead of the intended destination, and the reason behind it, which was later discovered, was so that Belarusian authorities could arrest a dissident journalist who was on that airplane.
After the arrest, the aircraft continued its journey to Vilnius, and the Belarus authorities insisted that the bomb scare was real in a press conference the following day.
The Belarusian state security services worked with the country’s air navigation authority to carry out the plot. “During the course of our investigation, the FBI identified a detailed operation that subjected passengers from many countries, including the U.S., to the realities of terroristic threats,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, pointing out that these types of false threats could also make pilots doubt the authenticity of future alerts, causing further security risks.
The four officials, who are currently still at large, face a minimum sentence of 20 years for aircraft piracy.
Ryanair’s main fleet is comprised of Boeing next-generation 737 airplanes, with 189 seats. For the summer of 2022, it also intends to launch the new Boeing 737-82000 “Gamechanger” with 16% less fuel burn and 4% more passengers.
The aircraft, carrying more than 100 passengers, was flying on a scheduled route between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania, on the day of May 23, 2021, when air traffic control authorities claimed that there was a serious bomb threat. The airplane landed in Minsk instead of the intended destination, and the reason behind it, which was later discovered, was so that Belarusian authorities could arrest a dissident journalist who was on that airplane.
After the arrest, the aircraft continued its journey to Vilnius, and the Belarus authorities insisted that the bomb scare was real in a press conference the following day.
The Belarusian state security services worked with the country’s air navigation authority to carry out the plot. “During the course of our investigation, the FBI identified a detailed operation that subjected passengers from many countries, including the U.S., to the realities of terroristic threats,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, pointing out that these types of false threats could also make pilots doubt the authenticity of future alerts, causing further security risks.
The four officials, who are currently still at large, face a minimum sentence of 20 years for aircraft piracy.
Ryanair’s main fleet is comprised of Boeing next-generation 737 airplanes, with 189 seats. For the summer of 2022, it also intends to launch the new Boeing 737-82000 “Gamechanger” with 16% less fuel burn and 4% more passengers.
Google News