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A bomb scare forced a passenger plane from London to make an emergency landing in Poland on Tuesday, while a second threat grounded a flight from Denmark.
The Polish airlines LOT flight from Heathrow was carrying 181 people when an alert brought it down at Warsaw-Modlin airport. Security services were still verifying the threat and the busy international airport was closed until further notice.
The Boeing 737 MAX had been due to land at Warsaw Chopin airport when the warning came in at 8.54am GMT. Bomb disposal experts reportedly checked the flight and passengers’ luggage after it touched down at Modlin seven minutes later.
A second bomb threat was reported on a Scandinavian airlines SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw, which was forced to land at Chopin Airport and was also being checked.
Did you see what happened? Contact james.reynolds@independent.co.uk
While no one has claimed responsibility for either scare, the incidents reflect growing concerns in Europe about hybrid threats to infrastructure amid growing security tensions since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
An explosive-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian plane at the Leipzig/Halle airport in east Germany in August, prompting a counterterrorism investigation. Germany accused Russia of responsibility for the attack.
Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in sabotage or hybrid warfare operations and has not commented on Tuesday’s incidents in Poland.
Warsaw-Chopin remained open on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the airport said. Warsaw has two airports: Chopin is within the city limits and Modlin, mostly used by budget airlines, is about 22 miles from the capital.
Adam Szabłowski, spokesperson for Warsaw Modlin Airport, told tvn24.pl: “A plane from London landed at Modlin Airport at 10:01 a.m. with 181 people on board. The airport has been closed. We are waiting for bomb disposal experts.”
The airport said in a statement that the plane was directed to a designated area after landing and would remain there until the authorities, including bomb disposal teams, can advise.
Passengers were told to wait in the arrival lounge while checks were being carried out. Modlin later announced on Tuesday that it had resumed operations.
The Indpenednet approached London Heathrow for comment.
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