A bomb hoax on a Wataniya flight to Damascus forced the plane back to Kuwait. A bomb hoax on a Wataniya flight to Damascus forced the plane back to Kuwait.

By Andy Sambidge

A Wataniya Airways passenger aircraft heading to Damascus on Monday morning returned to Kuwait 40 minutes into the flight due to a bomb hoax threat.

The bomb scare claim was made by a passenger who had started an argument with a flight attendant on board the Kuwait-based airline's flight, said Issam Al-Zamel, chief of operations at Kuwait International Airport.

The threat was made after the passenger, a male, refused to put his hand luggage in the overhead storage boot, claiming his bag contained a bomb, KUNA News Agency reported.

The captain decided to immediately return to Kuwait where all passengers were evacuated and an inspection of the plane and the bag's contents was carried out by the Ministry of Interior.

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No explosives were found on board and the passenger has been referred to state security authorities.

Al-Zamel added that the plane will leave for Damascus later on Monday.