'Bad joke' leads to hijack scare

Police arrested a Moroccan passenger when a transatlantic jetliner touched down in Paris today after a friend claimed he intended to blow up the plane.

The Air France Boeing 767 from Montreal was searched with dogs at Charles de Gaulle Airport but they found nothing suspicious.

The passenger was being held for questioning in a Paris police station’s anti-terrorism section.

Interpol in Ottawa had alerted France about the claim, police said.

A top French transport official said authorities treated the information very seriously, though it appeared the scare was the result of a “bad joke.”

“In these times when the terrorist threat is real, it’s better to use extra precaution,” said Dominique Bussereau, France’s transport under-secretary. “I hope with all my heart that the author of this bad joke is punished.”

Someone in Montreal had contacted Canadian authorities, saying the man had written down his intentions to blow up the flight, police said.

However, a spokeswoman for Paris airport said authorities believed the man argued with a friend before boarding. The friend is believed to have told authorities the Moroccan had taken the bomb on the plane.