Two arrested after RAF jets scramble to intercept Ryanair flight

Counter-terrorism police on Sunday night arrested two men at Stansted airport in the UK after they arrived on a flight from Vienna. 

UK media reports state a 34-year-old from Kuwait and a 48-year-old from Italy were taken into custody after the plane landed.

This came after a Lauda plane, owned by Ryanair, was intercepted by RAF Typhoon jets following unconfirmed reports of a security threat onboard. 

The Guardian reported that air monitoring agency Mil Radar tweeted at about 7.30 pm that two Typhoons had been launched from RAF base Coningsby and had circled the Stansted area. 

According to the Daily Mail, Ryanair said its crew were alerted to a “potential security threat” while onboard. 

A company spokesman said: “In line with procedures, the captain informed UK authorities and continued to London Stansted, where the aircraft landed normally and taxied to a remote stand where passengers in London Stansted waiting to depart to Vienna were transferred to a spare aircraft to minimize the delay to their flight.”

Passengers onboard said the plane was surrounded by armed police after it pulled up to an isolated part of the airport. 

Passenger Joanna Czechowska said officers boarded and took away two men after suspicious items were discovered in the toilets. 

The two men had arrived on a flight from Vienna and were detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, police said.