Malappuram: Karippur police have arrested a youth for issuing a bomb threat to an Air Arabia flight. The accused is Ovingal Muhammed Ijas (26), son of Muhammed Ashraf of Anangadi in Palakkad. The incident happened on October 28.

According to police, Ijas sent an e-mail from his personal mail ID to the airport director around 5.10 pm claiming a bomb had been planted on Air Arabia flight 3L 204, flying from Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi, and that it should not take off. Airport officials immediately contacted Karippur police, who launched an investigation into the source of the threat. Their probe pointed towards Ijas, who was taken into custody.

"We nabbed the accused on the same day from the airport. He was supposed to travel on the Air Arabia flight to Abu Dhabi. We sought the help of the cyber cell to track Ijas down using his mail ID,” said Karippur SHO S Rajeesh.

Ijas confessed to the police that he only attempted to get the flight cancelled, and there was no other motive. However, police are looking into other angles as well. The accused was presented before the Manjeri Chief Judicial Magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody for two weeks.