Pakistan International flight PK 709 with 297 passengers and 11 crew members on-board was forced to make an emergency landing at London’s Stansted Airport after suspects had allegedly threatened to bomb the plane with explosives.
A panicked stewardess alarmed Captain Nadeem Sufi, who sent a stress signal to London Area Control triggering a security alert, which led to the forced-landing of the plane in London.
The two arrested were British nationals by the name of Mohammad Shafqat and Ammara Ashraf. According to other passengers on the plane, it all started when Mohammad Shafqat and Ammara Ashraf, traveling with a number of other family members, engaged in a heated argument, which quickly spiraled out of control. Other passengers became increasingly annoyed and as a result forced the cabin crew to intervene.
When the cabin crew tried to calm the situation, the entire family thought it would be really smart to threaten the crew that they were going to blow the plane up. Nauman Rizvi, a passenger on the flight, also said that two members of the family tried to move towards the cockpit.
All the passengers were disembarked at the Stansted Airport and no one has been hurt, an airport spokesman said. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan High Commission in London, a team of the officers was sent to the Stansted Airport to provide any consular assistance to the passengers that may be required. The High Commission is keeping the authorities informed back in Pakistan and is also in touch with the PIA London Office as well.
