Wife made hoax airport bomb threat
A woman caused a major security alert at Geneva Airport yesterday after making a hoax bomb threat to try to stop her husband boarding a flight.
The woman, from nearby Annecy in France, allegedly called Swiss customs at the airport claiming a person carrying a bomb would be in the French area of the airport today.
Armed guards rushed to the scene, most entrances to the airport were closed and all visitors’ ID was checked in a security operation that led to long delays approaching the terminal.
The call was eventually traced to the woman’s home in Annecy, which was raided by French police.
"They found a woman who admitted to having made the call and explained that she wanted thereby to prevent her husband from leaving," prosecutors said in a statement.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the woman, who was not identified, in both France and Switzerland, it said.
The airport, which straddles the France/Swiss border, remained open during the security alert and flights were operating normally.
France has been in a state of emergency since a number of terror attacks in Paris, Nice and, most recently, in northern France this week when a Catholic priest was killed during a church service.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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