Three British men were detained in Germany late Saturday night after passengers on an EasyJet flight reportedly overheard them "discussing terrorist matters," according to Reuters.
The flight, en route to London from Slovenia, made an emergency landing at about 6 p.m., local time, in Cologne, Germany where the men were detained and later released without being charged.
Police said the men were investigated for "a serious violent crime that could have jeopardized the state," after fellow passengers reported suspicious behavior. One of the suspects allegedly carried a book entitled "Kill" with a picture of a weapon on the cover. Another carried a "suspicious-looking backpack." All three were also said to have been overheard using words like "bomb" and "explosive."
After passengers reported the trio, the EasyJet pilot made the decision to divert the flight to the nearest airport.
"The safety of easyJet passengers and crew is our highest priority," said EasyJet in a statement.
Upon landing, passengers were required to use the emergency slides to exit the plane. Nine of the 151 passengers required medical assistance following the evacuation.
The backpack in question was detonated in a police-controlled explosion, after "suspicious cables" were found inside. It was later determined that no weapons or explosives were in the bag or on the airplane.
"We now believe that there was never any real danger," said police.
[READMORE]READ MORE: U.K.-Bound Flight Canceled Due to 'Jihadist' Wi-Fi[/READMORE]
The landing caused the cessation of all inbound and outbound flight activity at Cologne Airport from 7 p.m. until nearly 10 p.m. that evening, according to a statement by the airport police press office.
The close down caused 17 arriving flights to divert to alternate airports, while another 20 departures were partly or significantly delayed. Two flights were also canceled. In total, 3,000 passengers were affected by delays or cancellations. By 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the airport had returned to normal operations.
Passengers on board the flight were taken by taxis to area hotel and were also given meal vouchers. According to the airport press office, they were scheduled to depart Cologne on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on an EasyJet flight for London.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
