The 18-year-old girl was dragged before a judge in Menorca’s capital Mahon by two armed police officers on Tuesday (Image: Reuters/Solarpix)
The British teenager arrested on suspicion of making a fake bomb threat on a packed easyJet plane has been banned from leaving Spain after his first court appearance.
The 18-year-old was dragged before a judge in Menorca’s capital Mahon by two armed police officers on Tuesday morning to be handed over to a judge for questioning.
A woman identified as his mother was waiting at the entrance to greet him after she reportedly flew to the sunny island following his arrest on Sunday.
The unnamed teenager is believed to have been wearing the same blue shorts and green T-shirt he was arrested wearing when flight EZY8303 landed in Menorca after being escorted by a Spanish military aircraft.
He was released on bail of €10,000 (£8,600) but was ordered to remain in Spain and appear in court every two weeks as part of the conditions attached.
A judicial source said: “The investigating judge in charge of Magistrate Court Number Two in Mahon has released on €10,000 bail the young man arrested for making a false bomb alert on the plane that landed in Menorca on Sunday.
“The judge confiscated his passport, banned him from leaving Spain and told him to appear in court periodically.”
The judge who made the decision is listed as Belen Velasquez.
It is understood that the unnamed teenager has been given five days to find the money he has to deposit in court.
An unconfirmed local report said the island’s judge had transferred the case to the Madrid-based Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid because it revolved around a matter of national security.
The teenager appeared in court over the alleged bomb hoax (Image: Solarpix)
Reports after his arrest said the teenager could face a bill in the thousands to cover the climb of the Spanish Airforce F18 fighter jet, as well as the police operation, which included the mobilization of specialist officers and tracking dogs to check the plane.
The youngster was part of a group of friends who traveled to the Mediterranean holiday island for a celebration.
The alarm was raised as the easyJet plane was close to landing just before 5pm on Sunday.
Video footage showed him being escorted by the Spanish fighter before reaching his destination.
A local Menorcan daily claims Scotland Yard and French police discovered the alleged bomb threat on an unidentified social network and alerted Spanish cops.
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A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed on Monday: “The Civil Guard has arrested an 18-year-old British national as an alleged perpetrator of a public disorder in Mahon in Menorca.
“On Sunday, Menorca Airport’s control tower was alerted to a bomb threat on a plane flying from London to the capital of the island of Mahon, which was still in the air and close to the airport.
“The threat is said to have been sent on a social media platform. After the plane landed, it was taken to an area away from the main terminal and other planes.
“The Civil Guard organized a special operation which consisted of mobilizing bomb disposal experts as well as tracking dogs and other officers who created a safe perimeter around the plane.
“Passengers were disembarked and established protocol was followed until police were able to confirm it was a false bomb threat and the person responsible was identified on social media along with five other passengers as witnesses.”
“They were taken to a police station so officers could clarify the situation.”
A Spanish F-18 jet fighter, seen through an aircraft window, escorts an Easyjet flight flying from London to the Spanish holiday island of Menorca (Image: Reuters)
Police sources confirmed before the teenager’s court appearance that he would likely have to foot the bill for the police operation if convicted of any offence.
Passengers were reportedly held on the tarmac for four hours while the plane was inspected.
The easyJet plane is understood to have landed around half an hour late, at 4.45pm local time on Sunday.
The incident reportedly caused a Ryanair flight to take off two and a half hours late for London.
Tuesday’s court hearing was held behind closed doors, as is normal in Spain, where trials are held only in public.
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