Heathrow 'bomb threat' plane released back to airline

British police who searched a plane at the centre of an alleged bomb threat found nothing and have released it back to the airline, they said today.

Three men held over the incident remain in custody, Scotland Yard said.

They were arrested last night as the plane was about to take off at Heathrow.

Armed police boarded the Emirates flight as it was taxiing on the tarmac.

A Yard spokesman said officers were called after a “verbal threat was made to staff”.

He added: “Three men aged 58, 48 and 36 were arrested and are now in police custody. They have been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat.”

The incident comes amid heightened tension at airports across the world in the wake of the botched Christmas Day bomb plot.

The threat was made at 9.15pm when the aircraft, with 331 passengers on board, was about to take off for Dubai.

It is thought the suspects were all British men who were sitting in economy.

One person on board told Sky News armed police came on to the flight and took a man off in handcuffs.

Cameron McLean said: “Police just swarmed the guy and rushed him out. I think he was a white male. There was another one but I didn’t see him.”

He said the man was taken out in handcuffs then sniffer dogs were brought on board.

The other passengers were eventually taken off the aircraft and put up in a hotel for the night ahead of a rescheduled departure later today.

A statement from Emirates said: “Following remarks made as Emirates flight EK004 prepared to depart London Heathrow for Dubai, crew alerted the Metropolitan Police who subsequently boarded the aircraft and detained three passengers.

“The safety and security of all our passengers is paramount. Police are currently assessing the situation and we apologise for the inconvenience to our passengers.”

An airline spokesman said the flight would now leave at 3pm.

A series of extra security measures have been brought in since the Christmas Day bomb plot.

Extra bag checks, body searches and on board regulations have seen travellers in London wait up to three hours before taking off in recent weeks.

Even when they are in the sky, some passengers have been told to remain seated for the final hour of flight time, with no access to the bathroom or overhead lockers and nothing on their laps, including blankets or pillows.

Others heading to the US have reportedly also seen bans on the use of electronic equipment, including laptops and MP3 players and, in some cases, in-flight entertainment has also been disrupted.

Former London student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, made his first public court appearance in Detroit, Michigan, yesterday, facing charges of trying to ignite a chemical-laden explosive on a US airliner over Detroit.

Authorities say the Nigerian with al Qaida links was travelling from Amsterdam when he tried to destroy the Northwest Airlines plane carrying nearly 300 people by injecting chemicals into a package of explosives concealed in his underwear.

Judge Mark Randon entered a not guilty plea for Abdulmutallab, who could face up to life in prison on the most serious charge – attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.