Airline bomb hoax suspect caught

NANJING - A man who allegedly made false bomb threats that affected flights in five Chinese cities was caught on Friday afternoon in Yancheng City of east China's Jiangsu Province, the municipal police said on Saturday.

From 5:22 p.m. to 5:25 p.m. on Friday, police in the cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou received phone calls claiming there were bombs on airplanes bound for Shanghai.

Police started an investigation immediately and caught a 43-year-old man surnamed Ji in Yancheng in less than two hours. Ji admitted to having made the fake bomb threats.

Police said further investigation is under way.

Bomb threats were also made against three Chinese airlines on Wednesday, affecting five flights flying to Shenzhen. On Thursday, police apprehended a male suspect who allegedly made the threats in Dongguan, of south China's Guangdong Province.

At least 10 false bomb threats were reported in China last year, leading to significant losses for airlines and airports.

According to China's criminal law and civil aviation law, those who intentionally disturb flight operations by fabricating and spreading terrorism-related information may receive punishments ranging from detention to a jail term of less than five years, or more than five years for those whose actions had severe consequences.