Man arrested for plane bomb joke

A RETIRED French tourist has been arrested on a plane from Paris to Bangkok for joking that there was a bomb on board.

Jean-Louis Lioret, 66, has spent the past six days in custody in Abu Dhabi - where the Etihad Airways flight was making a scheduled stop.

An airport spokesman said the passenger had twice told cabin crew that his suitcase contained a bomb.

However Mr Lioret's brother Michel - who had a brief phone conversation with him at the weekend - said he had merely joked with a fellow passenger about a package on a vacant seat, saying: "I hope it's not a bomb."

The French foreign ministry in Paris said it was paying close attention to the case. Representatives are due to fly out today to check on Mr Lioret's condition.