Man cautioned over Durham Airport bomb prank

09/09/2009

A group of men have been arrested after claiming they were carrying a bomb at Durham Tees Valley Airport.

The three Latvians, who were waiting to check-in to a KLM service to Amsterdam, were thought to be drunk when one removed an alarm clock from a bag and claimed it was a bomb on three occasions.

Airport staff immediately alerted police, who discovered in an interview that the trio had been playing a prank.

Inspector John Zissler of Durham Police commented on the incident: "Fortunately there were no delays caused to flights and in the circumstances a caution was the most appropriate method of dealing with the incident.

"But this should act as a reminder to airport passengers that any perceived security threat will be taken very seriously."

The 45-year-old who made the bomb claims was given a police caution, while the other two were released without charge.

In other news, three British men were convicted of terrorist plots to bring down planes bound for the US by a London court on Monday (September 7th).