A Maldivian passenger has been arrested after he claimed to be in possession of a "bomb" while reportedly on an airplane which was ready for take off from Ibrahim Naasir International Airport (INIA).
The incident occurred around 04:00pm. The 42 year old man was promptly escorted off and handed over to police.
Both Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) confirmed the incident, however they did not disclose the identity of the perpetrator or details regarding the incident.
Police media officer Ismail Ali confirmed to Vnews that a 42 year old man was arrested for claiming to be in possession of a bomb. He however did not make any further comments regarding the matter.
MNDF media officer Major Adnaan Mohamed revealed that they handed over the suspect to the police. He also revealed that the incident took place inside the terminal area therefore no planes were searched.
Vnews has received word that the incident was a misunderstanding caused by a joke.