Western countries voice outrage as Belarus accused of hijacking plane

EU leaders are due to discuss their response to what the union’s executive called a “hijacking” and the US state department a “shocking act”.

Western countries have expressed their outrage at the forced diversion of a plane carrying a Belarusian activist on an internal EU flight on Sunday.

EU leaders

EU leaders are due to discuss their response to what the union’s executive called a “hijacking” and the US state department a “shocking act”.

Belarus forced the plane, which was bound for Lithuania, to land in Minsk claiming a bomb threat to the aircraft. They then arrested the Belarusian journalist and activist Roman Protasevich.

According to state media, the aircraft was still in Belarusian airspace when the authorities scrambled a fighter jet and diverted it to the country’s capital. This order was personally given by President Alexander Lukashenko.

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