Pakistan-bound plane with 273 people lands in Stockholm due to bomb threat

Pakistan plane lands in Sweden after bomb threat

STOCKHOLM — A plane carrying 273 people bound from Canada for Pakistan landed Saturday at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport because of a bomb threat on board, airport and police officials said.

The pilot decided to land the Boeing 777 after Canadian police received a tip that a passenger on board was carrying explosives, Stockholm police spokeswoman Sussie Illum said. The plane landed safely at Arlanda airport and was parked at the end of the landing strip as police prepared to remove the passenger.

“We are not evacuating the plane,” Illum said. “We are going in to apprehend this person.”

Bomb technicians were heading to the scene but police didn’t see an immediate need to evacuate because the plane and the passengers had cleared security checks in Toronto, Illum said.

The plane was on its way from Toronto to Karachi, Pakistan, when the pilot requested permission to land in Stockholm, Arlanda airport spokesman Anders Bredfall said. The airport remained open to air traffic.

Swedish newspaper Expressen reported on its website that the plane belonged to Pakistan International Airways. Police and airport officials couldn’t confirm the report.