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Swedish police evacuate flight to Finland following "joke" bomb threat

A plane passenger at Stockholm Arlanda Airport first claimed there was a bomb on board, later saying the threat was a "joke".

Photo shows an SAS aircraft and two baggage trolleys on the runway at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
File photo of Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Image: Anders Wiklund / EPA
Yle News

A flight from Stockholm Arlanda Airport to the Finnish city of Vaasa was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon following a bomb threat.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight SK 4224 had been due to depart from the airport on the outskirts of the Swedish capital at 2:20pm local time when the captain alerted police about a claim by a passenger on board that there was a bomb on the aircraft.

Swedish news outlet Österbottens Tidning reported that the passenger later said the threat was a "joke", but the flight was fully evacuated while police carried out a search.

No suspicious objects were found on the aircraft or on the passenger, who was detained by police on suspicion of making illegal threats.

Airport operator Svedavia's press officer Ellen Laurin confirmed that police assistance had been called to the departure gate, but directed reporters to the police or SAS for further details.

"The flight took off, but was delayed," Laurin said.

According to flight information provided on the SAS website, the flight arrived in Vaasa on Tuesday at 5.38pm.

SAS confirmed the incident to Yle, but declined to comment further.

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