<p>A man was arrested today on suspicion of making a mid-air hoax bomb threat that forced a Qatar Airways plane carrying 282 people to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport with British fighter jets escorting it to safety.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Qatar Airways plane was escorted in to land by the Royal Air Force (RAF) following information received by the pilot.<br /><br />"Flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester, an Airbus A330-300, landed safely at Manchester Airport ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 13:15. There were 269 passengers and 13 Qatar Airways crew on board," Qatar Airways said in a statement.<br /><br />"The crew had received a threat about a possible device on board and Qatar Airways immediately took all the necessary precautions to alert British authorities," the airline said.<br /><br />"The crew is now fully assisting police at the airport with their inquiries. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority. As this is a matter of a police investigation, we cannot comment further at this time," it said.<br /><br />After the plane landed, a man on the Doha to Manchester plane was arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat.<br /><br />The man was arrested for reportedly passing a letter to a member of the cabin crew claiming there was a bomb on board the plane.<br /><br />Armed officers escorted him off the plane as soon as it landed in Manchester. He is now being held in custody on suspicion of making the hoax bomb threat.<br />Passenger Matthew Cox told the BBC: "Armed police came on and found a guy, searched him and made him stand up with his hands on his head and took him off the plane. He seemed no different to others on the plane, nothing unusual."<br /><br />"We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.<br />"The aircraft was escorted to Manchester where it landed safely. This incident is now being handled by the civilian authorities," it said.<br /><br />All flights in and out of the airport were suspended for about 25 minutes.<br /><br />The incident caused the diversion of the plane carrying the Manchester United football team back from its pre-season tour of the US, the Manchester Evening News reported.<br />Greater Manchester Police earlier said officers were treating it as a "full emergency" as they did not know "how genuine this threat is".<br /><br />"It's now business as usual (at Manchester Airport) due to swift partnership response. Police are still dealing with the matter as an isolated incident," the police statement said.</p>
<p>A man was arrested today on suspicion of making a mid-air hoax bomb threat that forced a Qatar Airways plane carrying 282 people to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport with British fighter jets escorting it to safety.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Qatar Airways plane was escorted in to land by the Royal Air Force (RAF) following information received by the pilot.<br /><br />"Flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester, an Airbus A330-300, landed safely at Manchester Airport ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 13:15. There were 269 passengers and 13 Qatar Airways crew on board," Qatar Airways said in a statement.<br /><br />"The crew had received a threat about a possible device on board and Qatar Airways immediately took all the necessary precautions to alert British authorities," the airline said.<br /><br />"The crew is now fully assisting police at the airport with their inquiries. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority. As this is a matter of a police investigation, we cannot comment further at this time," it said.<br /><br />After the plane landed, a man on the Doha to Manchester plane was arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat.<br /><br />The man was arrested for reportedly passing a letter to a member of the cabin crew claiming there was a bomb on board the plane.<br /><br />Armed officers escorted him off the plane as soon as it landed in Manchester. He is now being held in custody on suspicion of making the hoax bomb threat.<br />Passenger Matthew Cox told the BBC: "Armed police came on and found a guy, searched him and made him stand up with his hands on his head and took him off the plane. He seemed no different to others on the plane, nothing unusual."<br /><br />"We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.<br />"The aircraft was escorted to Manchester where it landed safely. This incident is now being handled by the civilian authorities," it said.<br /><br />All flights in and out of the airport were suspended for about 25 minutes.<br /><br />The incident caused the diversion of the plane carrying the Manchester United football team back from its pre-season tour of the US, the Manchester Evening News reported.<br />Greater Manchester Police earlier said officers were treating it as a "full emergency" as they did not know "how genuine this threat is".<br /><br />"It's now business as usual (at Manchester Airport) due to swift partnership response. Police are still dealing with the matter as an isolated incident," the police statement said.</p>