British man jailed for UAE flight bomb hoax

A British man who admitted sparking a bomb scare on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to London's Heathrow airport in January was jailed for three years Friday. James Glen, 38, had admitted "communicating information about a bomb hoax" on an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi on January 24, the same day as a suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport which killed 37 people.
Two Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane, carrying 163 passengers and 15 crew, and it was diverted to London's Stansted airport. Judge Charles Gratwicke told Chelmsford Crown Court, north-west of London, that Glen had caused a "serious threat" and subjected passengers to "gross" inconvenience. Prosecutors had previously told the court that Glen was "intoxicated" when he told a flight attendant that a fellow passenger had a gun and had threatened to blow himself up.