Armed Police Remove Passenger from Jet2 Flight Amid Explosive Device Claims

Armed police were deployed to Nottingham East Midlands Airport (EMA) in the United Kingdom (UK) after a passenger on a Boeing 737-800 stated he was in possession of an explosive device.

The suspect was a passenger on a Jet2 flight that was due to depart for Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey at 4:45 pm local time on August 21, 2023, but shortly after 5:15 pm the alarm was raised.

Officers from Leicestershire Police attended the incident, and armed police were involved as a precaution.

The police worked with airport staff and with the Jet2 aircraft crew to provide an immediate response to the report.

Following instructions, the man safely left the aircraft where he was arrested on suspicion of possession of an explosive substance.

The aircraft was inspected by specially trained officers and no explosive device was found.

“There is no suggestion that the threat made is viable. The man arrested has since been released on bail and our enquiries remain ongoing,” police confirmed.

The flight eventually left the airport for Turkey after a search of the aircraft was completed but arrived around three hours late.

“We can confirm that flight LS653 from East Midlands to Antalya returned to stand yesterday evening so that police could offload a disruptive passenger. The flight departed after the passenger was offloaded,” Jet2 said in a statement.

The airline added: “We would like to apologize to everyone onboard for any inconvenience or upset caused by this unforeseen incident.”