Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025

"You Have Bomb On Board," Belarus Told Pilot Of Diverted Ryanair Plane

"You Have Bomb On Board," Belarus Told Pilot Of Diverted Ryanair Plane

The forced grounding of the European passenger flight Sunday sparked a global outcry with EU-based carriers cutting air links with Belarus and European leaders warning of fresh sanctions.
Belarus air traffic control told a Vilnius-bound Ryanair flight there was a bomb on board and suggested it divert to Minsk, according to a transcript released by the transport ministry Tuesday.

The forced grounding of the European passenger flight Sunday sparked a global outcry with EU-based carriers cutting air links with Belarus and European leaders warning of fresh sanctions.

The aviation department of the Belarus transport ministry released a transcript of what it says was the conversation between Minsk airport and the Ryanair pilot.

"We have information from special services that you have bomb on board and it can be activated over Vilnius," Minsk air traffic control said, recommending that the aircraft make a landing.

The pilot then questioned the origin of the bomb threat, to which Minsk said airport security had received it via email.

Belarus several times suggested that the plane land in Minsk saying it was "our recommendation".

On Monday however Belarus authorities said that the decision to land in Minsk was made independently by the pilot and that he had the option of going to either Poland or Ukraine.

They also said the bomb threat supposedly came from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in an email addressed to Minsk airport. They reiterated this claim in Tuesday's statement.

The transport ministry also said Tuesday that representatives of international agencies were invited for "further consideration of the circumstances" of the incident.

The invited organisations are the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the EU and US Civil Aviation Authorities.

The Ryanair aircraft travelling from Athens to Vilnius had an opposition activist on board who was arrested in Minsk airport after all passengers disembarked for a security check.

Roman Protasevich, 26, fled Belarus in 2019 to the EU from where he co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, a key Belarus opposition media that helped mobilise protesters.

Belarusian state TV late on Monday broadcast a short video of Protasevich confirming that he was in prison in Minsk and "confessing" to charges of organising mass unrest.

His allies however say the video was made under pressure from authorities.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
×