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Etihad aircraft diverted after bomb threat

An Etihad Airways aircraft flying from Cairo to Abu Dhabi was diverted to a military base in Dubai due to a suspected bomb threat.


The airline confirmed the measure was taken due to “security reasons”, and said that all 128 passengers and seven crew on board the Airbus A321 had been safely disembarked at the al-Minhad air base.


Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV channel said a bomb threat had been made.


Etihad said security officials had searched the Airbus A321 on Sunday and found nothing suspicious. No details of the reported threat were given.


The passengers were transferred by bus to Abu Dhabi, and the aircraft was also later sent on, the Independent reported.


Twitter accounts associated with sympathisers of the Isis militant group had tweeted messages overnight threating planes, with one specifically mentioning the Etihad flight, according to the Associated Press.


An Air Arabia flight was diverted last week to the same base after its crew reported that a passenger said the aircraft was going to explode. It later emerged it was a false alarm.

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