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