Local men arrested for bomb hoax

Spanish police arrested two young men from Langley, Middleton for making a hoax bomb threat on a flight from Manchester to Tenerife.

The two  were arrested as soon as their plane landed at the Reina Sofia airport in Tenerife last Saturday.

They were allegedly involved in an argument with the cabin crew during the flight when the crew refused to serve the pair more alcohol, at which point one of them said he was carrying an explosive device.

The captain advised Tenerife south flight control who gave the ‘plane priority landing and once on the ground it taxied to a controlled area of the airport where it was met by police and emergency services and over 200 passengers and crew were evacuated.

After a thorough search the threat was confirmed to be a false alarm and the two youths were taken into custody in the holding cells at Tenerife south airport.

The two were taken to the Guardia Civil offices where they were told they faced the crime of public disorder for the false bomb alarm. They spent the night in the cells of the Granadilla Local Police ahead of a court appearance.

It’s not yet clear which legislation will apply. The Guardia Civil says it will apply the 1982 Navigation Law, but other sources say the two will be judged under British legislation, said to be harsher than the Spanish, as the incident had happened on a plane owned by a British company, considered to be British territory.