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Bomb threat on UK–Egypt plane; diverted to Greece

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From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The flight was diverted to Athens International Airport, Greece.

A plane travelling from Heathrow to Cairo was diverted to Athens last night after a note containing the word 'bomb' was found mid-flight. The EgyptAir flight landed at 8:39pm local time at Athens International Airport, with 251 passengers aboard.

Flight MS778 was checked for bombs by police last night, as passengers stayed in hotels in Athens. After it was found to be a false alarm, the jet took off again at around 1:30pm local time today, bound for Cairo.

The scare happens as Egyptians protesting the thirty-year rule of the their President, Hosni Mubarak, clash with police for a fifth day. Last night, a curfew was put in place by Egypt's military, a move that was ignored by thousands.

The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom is advising against "all but essential" travel to Egyptian locations, including Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez.


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