DISINFO: Hamas sent an e-email to Minsk airport threatening to blow up a Ryanair flight over Vilnius
SUMMARY
The message about a bomb on-board of the Ryanair aircraft was sent via the e-mail to the Minsk National Airport, director of the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications Artem Sikorsky said.
"On May 23, a written message was to the Minsk National Airport from an e-mail address protonmail.com in English with the following content:" We, the Hamas soldiers, demand that Israel cease fire in the Gaza Strip. We demand that the European Union renounce its support for Israel in this war. Delfi Economic Forum participants are known to return home on flight FR4978. There is a bomb on a plane. If you do not fulfill our demands, the bomb will explode on May 23 over Vilnius. "
RESPONSE
Disinformation about the forced diversion and landing of Ryainair flight 4978 by the Belarusian authorities.
On 23 May, a Belarusian fighter jet intercepted Ryanair flight FR4987 en route from Athens to Vilnius. The Minsk Air Control demanded the flight to be redirected to Minsk, allegedly due to a bomb threat. As the plane landed, a dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich was detained. No bombs were found.
Hamas spokesman denied his group had any knowledge or connection. There is also no evidence to substantiate the claims of the Belarusian offcial.
The EU condemned Belarusian action against civil plane and the detention of Pratasevich. In a declaration on behalf of the EU on the forced diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 to Minsk on 23 May 2021, the High Representative called for the immediate release of Mr Pratasevich. This was followed by a European Council statement, in which the EU leaders called for targeted individual and economic sanctions as well as to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by these.
The incident is investigated as an act of terrorism by Lithuanian authorities.
The forced landing of the Ryanair flight has been widely condemned. See also the statement referring to the concerns of the UN Secretary General.