[h=1]Stansted Airport: Arrests After Plane Alert[/h]
[h=2]An aircraft from Pakistan with 297 passengers and crew on board is escorted to Stansted Airport, where two men are arrested.[/h] 4:40pm UK, Friday 24 May 2013
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Passengers disembark Pakistan International Airlines flight PK709 bound for Manchester from Lahore, at Stansted Airport, Essex after the plane was diverted following an incident on board.
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Two men were arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft after an RAF Typhoon jet was scrambled to escort the passenger plane travelling from Pakistan to the UK.
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An aerial view of the plane surrounded by security vehicles.
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Police and security personnel wait by their vehicles at Stansted.
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Gallery: PIA Flight Diverted To Stansted
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Passenger Umari Nauman describes the "frightening" moment fighter jets scrambled to the plane she was on.
Video: Stansted: Passengers 'Were Worried'
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Two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft after a plane was escorted to the ground by fighter jets.
The Pakistan International Airlines flight from Lahore was diverted to Stansted Airport after a disturbance on board.
A witness speaking in Urdu to Pakistani station Geo TV said two men tried to enter the pilot's cabin.
Other witnesses among the 297 people on board said the pair made a number of threats.
The aircraft is being held in an area separate from other planes "There was a conflict between two passengers after one of them got into a confrontation with the stewards," passenger Shahid Yaqoob told
Pakistan's Express News.
"The two middle-aged passengers who previously had the altercation were simply asked to come with police who had boarded the aircraft. They were then handcuffed and taken away."
RAF Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled when the plane, a Boeing 777, sent out an emergency code which alerted the Ministry of Defence and the police.
Stansted is specially-equipped to deal with emergencies Flight PK709, which was due to land in Manchester at 1.30pm, was heading west towards the airport when it was suddenly re-routed near York.
It headed back out to the North Sea before travelling south to Stansted.
Passengers were originally told they were being diverted because of bad weather.
The plane turned back on itself as it headed west towards Manchester An Essex Police spokeswoman confirmed: "An incident has occurred on an aircraft. Police and partners are responding."
Mashood Takwar, from Pakistan International Airlines, told Sky News that 25 minutes before landing Manchester air traffic control had contacted the pilot after receiving information from British security services.
The aircraft is being held in an isolated stand at Stansted but the airport is operating as normal.
Stansted, along with Glasgow Prestwick, is designated to deal with emergency situations such as terror threats and has specially-trained teams.
The Typhoon jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.