Pakistan plane leaves Sweden after no explosives found

STOCKHOLM - A Pakistan International Airlines plane left Sweden and a suspect was released after no explosive was found on board the aircraft despite an extensive search following a bomb threat Saturday, police said.

The Boeing 777 plane was on its way from Canada to Pakistan with 273 people on board. It made an unscheduled landing Saturday at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport after police were alerted by a phone call by an anonymous woman that a man on the plane may have an explosive device with him.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, Swedish police evacuated all passengers from the plane and detained one of them on suspicion of taking an explosive device on board.

However, no explosives were found on the man or on the plane. And the plane took off for Manchester, Britain, from where the passengers would continue their journey to Karachi, Pakistan, said Jan Lindqvist, a spokesman for airport operator Swedavia.

Half an hour later after the plane left, the suspect, a 28-year-old Canadian citizen, was released by the prosecutor’s office.

“The suspicions against the man were not sufficiently strong for an arrest order and he is therefore free to leave Sweden,” the office said in a statement.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was investigating whether the incident was a hoax.