Lunch row bomb scare forces jet to land

A row over a meal on a passenger jet escalated into what the pilot took to be a bomb threat, forcing him to make an unscheduled stop in the United Arab Emirates.

No explosives were found aboard the Dubai-bound Royal Jordanian Airline plane carrying 172 people when it landed at Abu Dhabi Airport.

The Emirates Civil Aviation Authority said the plane took off for the Emirate of Dubai, leaving behind two passengers to be questioned by police over a remark about a bomb.

The Civil Aviation statement said the two passengers had argued with a flight attendant over the lunch and one of them said that, if he had a bomb, he would have blown up the plane.

The flight attendant notified the pilot, who sent an SOS as he was approaching Abu Dhabi, then made the unscheduled landed.