Belarus claim Hamas bomb threat behind plane diversion
Belarusians living in Poland and Poles supporting them hold up a placard reading Free Roman Protasevich during a demonstration in front of the European Commission office in Warsaw on 24 May 2021, demanding freedom for Belarus opposition activist Roman Protasevich a day after a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying the dissident journalist was diverted while in Belarusian airspace. [WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images] May 25, 2021 at 10:30 am
Belarus has claimed that a bomb threat from Hamas was the reason it diverted a plane to Minsk where authorities then arrested a journalist on board.
Belarus forced a Ryanair flight carrying a wanted opposition activist to land in the capital Minsk on May 23, provoking a furious outcry from world leaders who described it as a “hijacking” and an “act of state terrorism”.
Dominic Raab tells airlines to avoid Belarus airspace after journalist arrested on Ryanair jet Andrew Woodcock
The UK is preparing to impose sanctions against the dictatorial regime in Belarus over its seizure of an opposition journalist, with all possible measures on the table, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has said. The European Union is planning to follow suit and has banned Belarusian airlines from its airspace.
Mr Raab had already slapped a ban on the former Soviet state’s national airline Belavia and instructed UK flights to avoid Belarus airspace, after a Ryanair jet was forced to land on Sunday in its capital Minsk. Roman Protasevich, 26, was subsequently taken from the aircraft and detained.
Erzwungene Flugzeuglandung: Antworten auf wichtige Fragen zum Vorfall in Minsk web.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from web.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.