A Wizz Air plane traveling from Kutaisi to Barcelona has been forced to turn back a few minutes after takeoff. Kutaisi International Airport, based on the Wizz Air airline, explained that they received information about the alleged explosive substance on board.
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“The flight crew decided to return the aircraft to Kutaisi Airport. All relevant services are currently mobilized at the scene and are actively engaged”, stated Kutaisi Airport.
Flightradar24 data indicates that the aircraft was traversing the Black Sea when the decision to turn back was made. Upon landing at the airport, passengers were disembarked.
Presently, there is no information available regarding the rescheduling of the Kutaisi-Barcelona flight.
On January 21, reports emerged regarding the placement of an explosive device within one of the shopping centers in Batumi, leading to the evacuation of individuals from the premises. The following day, the State Security Service disclosed their ongoing investigation into the incident, classifying it as a false report of terrorism. According to the service, false reports concerning a terrorist attack on the "Gallery in Tbilisi" were received on December 30, 2023, and January 17 of the current year.
“The matter is linked to international online gaming networks, involving minors from various countries, including Georgia,” stated the State Security Service.
On January 31, Blogger Beka Vardosanidze was interviewed as a witness at the State Security Service of Georgia. As per the investigation's findings, threatening messages of terrorist nature were sent from Vardosanidze's email to the official email addresses of the State Security Service, the Tbilisi Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the "Imedi" TV company. Vardosanidze refuted the allegations, asserting that the threatening texts were translated from a foreign language using Google Translate.
