Aerospace
Why Greece sent a fighter jet to escort an Emirates flight
Greece sent an F16 fighter jet to escort an Emirates flight while on high alert.
A security alert forced an Emirates flight from Greece to New York to return to Athens International Airport, but Greece found nothing suspicious on board, according to police on Thursday.
After Greek officials received information from American authorities about a “suspicious” passenger, the plane, which was being escorted by two fighter jets, returned to the Eleftherios Venizelos airport in Athens shortly after 2000 GMT for security checks, according to police sources.
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Police claim that a request for information led to the jet being told to return to Athens, but after searching the passengers and the plane, they were unable to find the person the information was about or any other suspicious behavior.
On Thursday, permission to leave Eleftherios Venizelos was denied to an earlier Emirates flight bound for Dubai. According to police sources, every passenger underwent a thorough security check as well, but nothing strange was found.
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Police assert that after receiving a request for information, the jet was instructed to return to Athens. However, after examining the passengers and the aircraft, they were unable to locate the person for whom the information was requested or any other suspicious activity.
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An earlier Emirates flight headed for Dubai was denied clearance to depart Eleftherios Venizelos on Thursday. Every passenger reportedly got a comprehensive security check as well, but nothing unusual was discovered, according to police sources.
