Australian detained after plane bomb threat

An Australian passenger was detained by Russian security officers after threatening to blow up a plane on a Tokyo-Moscow flight, the Australian Embassy in Moscow said today.

An embassy spokeswoman said the 28-year-old had tried to force his way into the cockpit of the plane, which Russian news agencies said was an Aeroflot Boeing-777 carrying 214 passengers. The media reports said that in spite of the threats he did not have explosives.

The spokeswoman said the embassy had no other details of the incident. “We are providing normal consular assistance at the moment,” she added.

The plane was approaching Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport yesterday when the pilot alerted controllers a passenger had tried to enter the cockpit but was blocked by crew members, the Interfax news agency reported, citing airport spokeswoman Angelina Matrosova.

The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted an unnamed law enforcement official as saying the passenger probably would undergo a psychiatric examination.