President Alexander Lukashenko is being blasted for forcing the passenger plane to make an emergency landing so authorities could arrest a journalist who has been critical of his authoritarian leadership. The presidential press service said a bomb threat was received while the Ryanair plane was over the Belarusian territory. Ryanair said in a statement that the plane’s crew was notified by Belarus of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk. Police then proceeded to detain journalist Roman Protasevich, a prominent opponent of Mr Lukashenko.

Source: Belarus condemned for ‘hijacking’ after fake bomb diverts Ryanair flight