The man who phoned Faro airport to say there was a bomb onboard a TAP flight to Lisbon this morning has been arrested.
The Judicial Police announced today that originator of the hoax bomb alert has been arrested, questioned, accused and released subject to his turning up at the local police station regularly and not travelling abroad.
In a short statement, the National Directorate of the Judicial Police announced that its officers had identified the man who had phoned with the news that an explosive device on board.
The hoax call left 38 passengers and six TAP crew waiting for four hours back in the terminal as a specialist team boarded the Airbus A319 and carried out a search, later declaring it bomb-free.
The hoaxer was tracked as police easily traced his phone call.
The TAP flight to Lisbon should have left at 6.05am but the passengers boarded another flight at 11.20.
Faro Airport was on Orange alert for three hours but other flights were not affected in a well executed operation.
The man was reported to be "35-years-old, single and retired," has mental 'issues' and was questioned for three hours before being released.
