Riyadh-bound Filipino held in Manila over bomb scare

RIYADH: A 50-year-old Filipino scheduled to fly to Riyadh was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila, following a bomb scare.
The Filipino named Daisy David Medallon was about to board Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR654 bound for Riyadh at the NAIA Terminal 2 when she was apprehended by police on Sunday.
“The flight, however, landed on time in Riyadh,” said Julieto Quirante, a PAL supervisor stationed in Riyadh. Quirante, who was not aware of the whole hoax bomb episode, said that he would find out more details of the incident. But, Philippines’ Director of Aviation Security Group Chief Supt. Pablo Francisco Balagtas confirmed the arrest.
Balagtas said during the check-in procedures, David was advised by Janette Murata who was manning the counter, to remove some of her stuff due to excess baggage. But, she reluctantly responded to the request to show the baggage, saying that “she had a bomb, which can blow up the plane.”
She did not realize that cracking a bomb joke inside an airport terminal is a criminal offense.
According to reports, David was supposed to board PAL Flight PR654 on Saturday to visit her husband in Saudi Arabia, But now, she is facing a five-year jail term if convicted, and a hefty fine or both. Making any threat concerning bombs, explosives or similar devices or means of destruction is a major violation of aviation rules where the airport is located.
This is not first time that such a nasty incident created a scene at the airport or on board a mid-air plane. In an incident recently, a Saudia Boeing 777 carrying 287 passengers made an emergency landing in Cairo airport after its captain received a bomb threat. But, the investigators found no bomb on board.
In another hoax bomb incident, a Qatar Airways plane was escorted into Manchester airport by a military jet when a man aboard who was arrested made a bomb threat.