Fake explosive device forces Air France flight to make emergency landing in Kenya

A fake explosive was found on an Air France plane, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Mombasa, Kenya.

Reuters reported that the Boeing 777 was en route from Mauritius to Paris. Air France CEO Frederic Gagey said that that the suspicious device that caused a "false alarm" was harmless. The device, found in the toilets, consist of cardboard, paper, and a timer. Gagey believe that it was planted during the flight. There were 459 passengers and 14-crew in flight AF463.

"All the information available to us at the moment indicates that the object was not capable of creating an explosion or damaging a plane, but was rather a mixture of cardboard, sheets of paper and a timer," said Gagey in a report by The Guardian. "It was a false alarm."

Yahoo News wrote that these hoaxes are a big challenge to security officials, especially after the terror attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino, California. This is not the first time Air France has been threatened by terror hoaxes. It has been targeted three times before, all of which happened in the United States. There was also a fourth attempt during a flight to Mauritius, which is popular vacation spot for the French.

The aircraft, which was headed to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, was able to land in Mombasa smoothly. Gagey even commended the crew for handling the situation calmly. The passengers also praised the flight crew's cool-headed response to the situation.

The Boeing 777 was heading to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris when its pilots requested an emergency landing early Sunday at Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa. Gagey denied that there were any security failures. He said the passengers are thoroughly checked.

Six passengers are now being questioned. The crew that informed about the fake explosive device in the bathroom is also under questioning.