World News | Kenyan Plane Diverted in London After Potential Issue; Police Say No Threat Found

London, Oct 12 (AP) A Kenya Airways plane from Nairobi bound for London's Heathrow Airport was intercepted by air force fighter jets and diverted to land at Stansted airport on Thursday over a potential security threat.

The Essex Police force said officers attended an “incident” at the airport, and established there was “nothing of concern” aboard the plane.

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The airport remained open throughout the incident.

The Ministry of Defence said Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters were launched “as a precaution this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft which was approaching the UK".

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It said the plane “remained in contact with air traffic controllers throughout, and was escorted to Stansted Airport where it landed safely.”

The airline said in a statement that its headquarters had received “an alert of a potential security threat” aboard the plane. It said the airline and Kenyan and UK authorities “carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat”.

“The crew on board were briefed, and all safety and security precautions were taken to ensure the safety and security of our crew and passengers on board," the airline said.

Stansted said the Boeing 787 jet landed safely on Thursday afternoon and was parked at a remote stand, away from the terminal.

Stansted is some 30 miles (40 km) north of London, and is used for flights when there are security incidents because of its remote location. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)