Man quizzed over bid to take gun on plane
A Swedish man who tried to board a flight to Britain carrying a handgun was tonight being questioned over a possible terrorist link, Stockholm police said.
The 29-year-old, originally from Tunisia, was among a group of 20 boarding the Ryanair flight to London Stansted when the weapon was found in his hand luggage.
All 189 passengers were ordered to leave the aircraft and were delayed as bomb squad officers carried out a thorough search of the Boeing 737-800.
The man, who lives in Stockholm, was arrested and other members of his group were being questioned after the incident at the city’s Vasteras Airport.
It was not known whether any of the other members of the group were also carrying weapons. Some had already boarded the plane when the man was stopped.
The discovery was made as passengers passed through security ready to board Ryanair flight FR685, a spokeswoman for the airline said.
The plane was scheduled to leave Stockholm at 3.55pm local time but was thought to have been delayed by the incident until 10pm.
A fresh crew had arrived and it was thought the flight would be touching down in London at around 11pm.
The airline spokeswoman said: “Ryanair commends the prompt action and vigilance of the security staff at Stockholm Vasteras Airport and we are co-operating fully with the relevant Swedish Authorities.
“We apologise sincerely to our passengers for this delay, but safety and security is our number one priority.”
