Retired police officer held over fake bomb on plane

By ANGELA CHARLTON
Published 22nd Dec 2015, 00:00 BST
Air France flight was forced to land in Mombasa, Kenya. Picture: AFP/GettyAir France flight was forced to land in Mombasa, Kenya. Picture: AFP/Getty
Air France flight was forced to land in Mombasa, Kenya. Picture: AFP/Getty
A retired French policeman travelling on Air France has been detained after a fake bomb hidden in a toilet forced his Paris-bound flight to make an emergency landing in ­Kenya.

The hoax – the fourth to hit Air France in recent weeks – came amid heightened concerns about extremist violence and has added to passengers’ fears during the Christmas holiday season.

The man in custody is a former police officer detained upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Monday, said the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny.