Passengers on an Air Serbia flight scheduled to travel from Split to Belgrade were evacuated from the aircraft after a passenger allegedly threatened that there was a bomb on board. Croatian police detained a 75-year-old man in connection with the incident.
The Split-Dalmatia Police Department confirmed that the passenger was detained at Split Airport after, at around 3:25 p.m., while inside the aircraft before departure, he told the crew that there was a bomb on the plane. He later claimed that he was joking.
“The aircraft was evacuated and will be thoroughly inspected again before departure. Passengers and their luggage will also undergo additional security checks,” police said in a statement.
One of the passengers described what happened inside the aircraft, saying that several police officers entered the plane while it was on the runway. Some were wearing uniforms, while others were dressed in civilian clothing.
“Through the window, I saw a police vehicle next to the aircraft. They escorted out a gray-haired man who was sitting in the third or fourth row,” the passenger said.
At first, the other passengers were unsure what was happening and asked a flight attendant for an explanation. She briefly told them that the detained passenger had “mentioned the word bomb.”
After Croatian police conducted a detailed inspection of the aircraft, the flight was cleared to continue its journey. The Air Serbia plane eventually arrived at Belgrade Airport at around 7:30 p.m., approximately three hours behind schedule.
