Belarus arrests opposition activist after diverting flight

[tfcrew]

Did Belarus 'hijack' a civilian airliner to detain an activist?

Ryanair flight 4978 was about to begin its descent to Vilnius in Lithuania on Sunday when it suddenly changed direction after a "security alert," turning sharply east and descending towards the capital of Belarus, Minsk. Whether that security alert was a fabrication by the Belarus authorities is now at the heart of an incident which has sparked widespread international condemnation and raised serious questions about safety in the skies. Some governments have described the incident as a state-sanctioned hijacking.
One of the passengers on board the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was Belarus opposition activist Raman Pratasevich, who is wanted on a variety of charges. For him the diversion was much more than an inconvenience. As soon as the plane landed, he was arrested, according to the Belarus Interior Ministry.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has been fending off opposition protests since claiming victory last year after a hotly-disputed election widely condemned by the international community.
Pratasevich is one of dozens of journalists and activists campaigning in exile against Lukashenko's 26-year rule. He is the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped mobilize anti-Lukashenko protests, and was charged last year with "organizing mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order."  He is on a government wanted list for terrorism.
Just why the plane suddenly changed course depends on whose account one believes. Ryanair says that its crew was "notified by Belarus ATC [air traffic control] of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk."  That's not how the Belarus authorities characterized the incident. The Deputy Commander of Air Defense Forces, Major-General Andrey Gurtsevich, claimed that after the Ryanair crew were told of a "possible bomb on board," it was the captain who "made a decision to land at the reserve airfield (Minsk-2)."
Gurtsevich said a Belarus Air Force MiG29 jet was dispatched to monitor the flight and "assist" if necessary. The Belarus version of events has been met with widespread disbelief and condemnation among the international community, despite an elaborate show of fire trucks when the plane landed, as well as extensive baggage checks. Nothing untoward was found, according to Ryanair.

http://www.cnn.com/2021/05/23/europe/belarus-ryanair-pratasevich-intl/index.html

[calmissile]

You have to admit that was pretty clever of the Belarus ruler to come up with a plan like this.  Obviously, there must be other players involved.  Knowing the guy was on this flight took some intelligence work.

[ML]

I heard on news that there were 2-3 Belarussian 'security agents' on board the plane to make sure it diverted.

I suspect Belarus has been tracking this guy for some time, so no great last minute break through as to his whereabouts and travel plans.

Imagine that he has already 'confessed.'

I suspect those electric stomach belts are pretty effective.