Pakistani Official Says 2 Passengers Threatened Flight To Britain

LONDON (AP) – According to a Pakistani official, two passengers on a flight from Pakistan to England today allegedly threatened to “destroy the plane” after an argument with crew.

The British military scrambled fighter jets to intercept the airliner, which was carrying more than 300 people, and it was diverted to an isolated runway at an airport outside London. The two British passengers who allegedly were speaking in Urdu when they made the threat were arrested.

A British security official says the incident does not appear to be terror-related, although police are still investigating.

The incident further rattled the U.K., just days after a soldier was killed on a London street in an apparent terror attack.

The Pakistan International Airlines flight was on its way from Lahore, Pakistan to Manchester Airport when it was diverted by the fighter jets to Stansted Airport.

A passenger told Pakistani TV that two men who had tried to move toward the cockpit during the flight were handcuffed and arrested after the plane landed.