Garuda says bomb threat a hoax

Garuda says bomb threat a hoax

JAKARTA: Indonesian state airline Garuda Indonesia said on Wednesday a bomb threat which forced one of its planes to make an emergency landing had been a hoax.

The plane, carrying 261 passengers and crew to the resort island of Bali, returned to Jakarta's main airport shortly after takeoff on Tuesday following a phone call from an unidentified caller saying there was a bomb aboard the Boeing DC-10. Garuda spokesman Pujobroto told Reuters the police bomb squad had searched the plane and found nothing suspicious.

"There was nothing like the caller said. As soon as the plane landed, the police checked the entire plane...compartments, luggage, passengers. They found nothing strange," he said adding passengers then left on a night flight to Bali.

Officials did not immediately know how many foreigners were on board the plane although Bali is one of the world's top tourist destinations.

Despite Indonesia's volatility and a spate of bombings in recent years across parts of the country, threats against local carriers, including Garuda, have been extremely rare. --Reuters