Belarus state media defends diverting Ryanair plane

Belarus state media has defended the use of a military jet to divert a passenger plane carrying a dissident, a move that has sparked outrage from Western leaders, claiming authorities had no other choice.

The government of strongman Alexander Lukashenko provoked global outcry on Sunday by pulling Ryanair flight FR4978 from its Athens-to-Vilnius route and arresting one of the passengers, opposition journalist and blogger Roman Protasevich, in Minsk.

Western leaders called it an "act of state terrorism" and the EU is expected to toughen sanctions against Belarus on Monday.

However, Belarus authorities said the plane had to make an emergency landing in Minsk following a bomb scare.

Read more: Who is the journalist Belarus arrested by forcing a Ryanair plane to land?

A semi-official presidential channel on messaging app Telegram said that while Lukashenko could be criticised for forcing the jet to land, it was the right decision.

"How should the state react to terrorist plans? Who knows what ideas those who reported a bomb threat and especially those who might have been among the passengers have?" the channel said late Sunday.

"And now imagine that this plane is being intentionally directed towards your home. Would the state be guilty if it did not protect you?"

The bomb threat turned out to be false.

Belarusian state television for its part claimed authorities did not initially know the anti-Lukashenko blogger was on the flight.

It also said his girlfriend drew the attention of Belarusian law enforcement to him when she sent his picture to another blogger.

Protasevich, 26, is a Belarusian journalist and activist.

Together with co-founder Stepan Putilo he until recently ran the Nexta telegram channel that galvanised and directed huge protests against Lukashenko's disputed re-election to a sixth term in August, 2020.

Last year, Protasevich and Putilo were accused by Belarusian authorities of a number of crimes including organising mass riots.