Bomb threat on French plane at Beirut airport; nothing found

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A French jetliner was searched at Beirut airport shortly before takeoff Tuesday after a Lebanese passenger warned her baggage might contain a bomb, airport and security officials said. The incident occurred when passenger Katia Salha said she received a telephone call telling her that a bomb was placed in her luggage, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. All the passengers were told to disembark, and the plane was searched by sniffing dogs, said the officials. Nothing was found in the woman's baggage, they added. The officials said she was being questioned by authorities. The man who appears to have called Salha allegedly wanted to marry her, but her family turned down his proposal, said the officials. Earlier in March, a man suffering psychological problems stormed Beirut's airport and warned travelers that he was carrying "a suspicious bag." Authorities briefly detained the 25-year-old man, but after finding nothing illegal, they handed him over to his family for treatment. Tension has been high in Lebanon following a series of bombings over the past few years that have targeted politicians, journalists and members of security and military agencies. The bombings claimed the lives of dozens of people.