Jet lands in UK after bomb alert

The plane being searched at Stansted

A Greek passenger plane is being searched at the UK's Stansted Airport after being diverted by a bomb alert.

Olympic Airlines flight 411 was en route from Athens to New York when a Greek newspaper took anonymous phone calls saying there was a bomb on board.

RAF jets were scrambled and escorted the plane, with 301 passengers and crew, to Stansted, in Essex, on Sunday.

Police said it was not a terrorist attack or hostage situation and nothing suspicious had so far been found.

British security men armed with machine guns came on board and told everyone to leave their bags and get off as quickly as possible Passenger Skye Ferranti

The BBC's Athens correspondent Richard Galpin said the incident happened after three anonymous calls were made to the Greek newspaper Ethnos, in Athens.

According to a tape Ethnos made available to journalists, the first caller said: "Flight 411 Olympic for America has a bomb for Iraq."

In a second call, a voice that sounded like a different person said: "Are you listening? Flight 411 Olympic for America, bomb. America will see. Six o'clock message for you."

The first is believed to have been made by an elderly man, speaking in broken Greek, two-and-a-half hours into the flight.

Three further calls - at least one by a person who spoke more fluent Greek - were received within the next hour and a quarter.

The paper contacted the police, who called the airline. No code word is believed to have been used.

Cargo searched

Essex Police said "well-rehearsed procedures" had been immediately followed once the alert happened.

Assistant Chief Constable Liam Brigginshaw said officers were now working methodically to check a "substantial amount" of hold baggage and five tons of cargo which the plane was carrying.

"We are working with sensible procedures to ensure the safety of passengers, the aircraft and the airport, which is still running with no disruption to its operation."

Specialist officers have been searching the aircraft throughout the night.

According to Essex ambulance service, around 30 passengers were being treated for a variety of conditions, described as "not serious".

The remaining passengers have been taken to a hotel and will receive medical treatment if necessary.

A spokesman for Stansted Airport said the plane had landed at 1529 BST on Sunday under "full emergency conditions" and the situation had been handled "extremely well".

Armed police

New York artist Skye Ferranti, 31, said armed police boarded the plane after it touched down.

"It was very calm on the plane. Everyone seemed to stay calm until we landed and then the atmosphere changed.

"British security men armed with machine guns came on board and told everyone to leave their bags and get off as quickly as possible.

It is believed that RAF Tornados escorted the planes

"We left our bags either on the Tarmac or the plane and ran towards some coaches that were waiting."

New York fireman Robert Santandrea, 33, who was involved in the rescue efforts during the 11 September attacks, was also travelling on the flight.

"I was praying. I was a little nervous but everyone was very calm," he said.

"I arrived after the Twin Towers collapsed and was involved in the rescue efforts after that.

"It made me think about that today and now I'm just so tired."

Threatened planes

Since the 11 September attacks, it has been normal procedure for threatened planes to be accompanied into Stansted, the UK's designated hijack airport, by RAF fighter jets.

A spokesman for the UK's Department for Transport said the aircraft was being searched as part of a "standard response", adding: "We take all threats seriously."

The RAF is not releasing any more details of how many of its planes were involved for security reasons.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the passenger plane's pilot had contacted air traffic controllers for help after being told of the threat.

Officials called the Department of Transport and then the MoD gave the go-ahead to escort the plane.

The Olympic Airlines jet is being kept in a secure holding area away from the main airport building.