Air France flight forced to land in Kenya over bomb scare

Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said the passengers had departed on another plane sent by Air France to pick them, but an undisclosed number of them who were being questioned by authorities had stayed behind, but did not say if they were under arrest.

Worldwide desk – A false bomb alert has forced an Air France flight emergency landing in Kenya as the aeroplane was en route to Paris from Mauritius, the airliner said.

The object was made from cardboard and paper and had a timer affixed to it, according to Air France’s chief executive Frederic Gagey.

The object was analyzed and found to contain no explosives, the airline said.

Mr. Lucchini echoed the head of Air France’s sentiments about the collective cool of the flight crew. He said a safety check had been carried out in the toilets before the flight and denied any security failure. Six passengers are being questioned in regards to the fake explosive, including the person who informed the crew about the device, said a Kenyan police official.

It is the fourth Air France flight to be diverted in four weeks as France remains on high alert in the face of recent deadly attacks.

Kenyan police say the flight from Mauritius was diverted after pilots requested an emergency landing at 12:37 a.m. on Sunday.

The Paris attacks were preceded by the downing of a Russian plane over Egypt, allegedly by a bomb concealed on board.

The passengers were successful evacuated and booked at various hotels in Mombasa waiting to be transferred to their destinations.

Stephen Ciaran was sitting at the back of the Boeing 777 watching a movie when he noticed cabin crew preparing emergency drills.

Crew members also have to weigh how much passengers can find out from other sources as more planes come equipped with Internet and television access.

“Air France has dispatched another aircraft to pick the passengers, but meanwhile the investigation is still going on and we will give an update about the process about the device”, Nkaissery added. Senior Anti terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) police officers said the bomb was mounted in the airplane’s lavatory, with a timer. The plane that originally took off from Mauritius was then slowly taken to the ground in Mombasa, Kenya, and the passengers were evacuated.

Mr Gagey said he did not know exactly when it had been placed there, but that the cupboard had been checked before the flight so it was assumed that it was put there during the flight. “A few passengers are being interrogated”, he said.