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Belarus\u2019 authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko has been accused of \u2018unacceptable\u2019 conduct (Picture: Reuters)The Belarusian Government has been accused of a hijacking operation, after a passenger plane was diverted over a false bomb threat.
\nA prominent opponent of Belarus\u2019s authoritarian president was detained when the Ryanair flight unexpectedly landed in Minsk \u2013 and some fear he could face the death penalty. \u00a0
\nA spokesman said President Alexander Lukashenko had personally ordered a fighter jet to accompany the aircraft to an airport in the capital on Sunday.
\nThe plane had been travelling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, before it received the threat while over Belarus.
\nDeputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich claimed the plane\u2019s crew made the decision to land in Minsk.
\nBut the airliner said tonight that it was \u2018instructed to divert\u2019, labelling the move \u2018out of Ryanair\u2019s control\u2019.
\nLithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also pointed the finger at Belarus, tweeting that Mr Lukashenko\u2019s \u2018regime is behind this\u2019.<\/p>\n
President Lukashenko has cracked down on his opponents since major protests last August (Picture: Reuters)The Belarusian Interior Ministry said blogger Raman Pratasevich was arrested at the airport.
\nMr Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app\u2019s Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organise major protests against Mr Lukashenko.
\nMr Pratasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, with other reports suggesting he may even face the death penalty.
\nThe presidential press service said the bomb threat was received while the plane was over Belarusian territory.
\nOfficials later said no explosives were found on board.
\nExiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to begin an investigation.<\/p>\n
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She said: \u2018It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain activist and blogger Raman Pratasevich.
\n\u2018Not a single person who flies over Belarus can be sure of his safety.\u2019
\nMonths of protests arose after last August\u2019s presidential election that official results say gave Mr Lukashenko a sixth term in office.
\nPolice cracked down on the protests harshly, detaining some 30,000 people and beating many of them.
\nAlthough protests died down during the winter, Belarus has continued to take action against the opposition and independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the\u00a0TUT.by\u00a0news website were detained by police.
\nMore: Politics<\/p>\n
A Ryanair spokesperson told Metro.co.uk on Sunday evening: \u2018The crew on a Ryanair flight from\u00a0Athens\u00a0to Vilnius today were notified by Belarus ATC of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk. \u00a0
\n\u2018The aircraft landed safely and passengers were offloaded while security checks were completed by local authorities.
\n\u2018Nothing untoward was found and authorities cleared the aircraft to depart together with passengers and crew after approximately five hours on the ground in Minsk.\u2019
\nShe continued: \u2018Ryanair has been advised by Minsk airport that the aircraft is expected to depart at 5pm UK time.
\n\u2018Ryanair has notified the relevant national and European safety and security agencies and we apologise sincerely to all affected passengers for this regrettable delay, which was outside Ryanair\u2019s control\u2019.
\nFrance\u2019s Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian branded President Lukashenko\u2019s conduct \u2018unacceptable\u2019.
\nGet in touch with our news team by emailing us at\u00a0webnews@metro.co.uk.
\nFor more stories like this,\u00a0check our news page.<\/p>\n
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