A Moroccan passenger was taken into custody at a Paris airport after threatening to blow up the Air France flight he had taken from Montreal, police said Friday, according to AP.
Jacques Reder, a spokesman for the Paris airport authority, told Reuters: "A passenger was overpowered after he threatened to blow the plane up. The plane landed normally at 6:07 a.m. local time (0507 GMT)."
The suspect, Mouhad Madjoul, a Moroccan national living in Canada, had been taken into custody by French border police after the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside the French capital. The suspect and his baggage were subjected to an intensive search but nothing suspicious was discovered, police disclosed.
But Air France categorically denied these reports, saying in a statement: "AF Flight 345 on November 21 from Montreal to Paris was normal. No attempted hijacking took place."
Company spokeswoman Veronique Brachet explained there had been an incident on the ground in Montreal before take-off.
"There was an altercation on the ground between two passengers. One of them was not allowed to board the plane and then spread the rumor that there was a bomb on board," she said. "The plane was checked on its arrival in Paris and nothing was found," she said, according to AFP.
A friend allegedly told airport police in Montreal after fighting with Madjoul before take-off that he had seen "a note" written by Madjoul that contained threats against the Air France flight, police said.
But during the transatlantic trip, Madjoul -- who was travelling through Paris to Algeria -- made no threatening statements or gestures. (Albawaba.com)
