Czech man arrested at Schiphol over false bomb threat on Prague flight

Dutch military police arrested a 45-year-old Czech man Thursday evening at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after he allegedly made a false bomb threat against a flight to Prague, NOS reports. The arrest came during a week in which authorities across Europe received roughly 25 to 50 similar threats aimed at passenger flights.

The man was detained near a gate as he prepared to board the Amsterdam-Prague flight, a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said. He made the threat verbally to airline staff and had a ticket for the flight on him, NOS reported.

The aircraft left for the Czech Republic after a short delay. The man was released late Friday afternoon. Officials have not said whether he will face charges or remain in the Netherlands.

The incident is the latest in a string of false bomb threats targeting European flights in recent days. Prague Airport reported Friday that at least eight flights had been affected by similar warnings. No explosives have been found in any of the cases.

Authorities also received a bomb threat Friday involving a KLM flight from Prague to Amsterdam. The plane landed normally at Schiphol and was searched. Nothing was found on board, according to the Marechaussee.