Ryanair chief accuses Belarus of having spies on board ‘hijacked’ plane

Ryanair has accused Belarus of having spies on board a passenger flight that was forced to land in the country’s capital as part of a claimed plot to detain an opposition activist. The plane, carrying 171 passengers from Greece to Lithuania, was nearing the end of its journey when Belarus air traffic control warned the crew there may be a bomb on board. A fighter jet was sent to divert the plane to the Belarusian capital of Minsk, even though it was not the closest airport. When it landed, opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, was arrested by state security service officers. Protasevich is wanted in Belarus on extremism charges and allegations of inciting riots, which he denies. He spoke on a video posted later on Monday to several channels on the Telegram messaging app, which is popular in the country. It included Protasevich admitting to organising large protests in Minsk last year.