Student Allegedly Calls In Hoax Bomb Threat To Avoid Seeing Parents

An EasyJet flight taking off in France had to be diverted last week because of a fake bomb threat.

On Jan. 18, flight EZY4319 from Lyon to Rennes was in the air when authorities received an anonymous call that suggested a bomb could be on the plane.

The pilots returned to Lyon, but no bomb was found.

Authorities investigating the call said the person behind the threat was a 23-year-old college student in Rennes. He allegedly didn’t want his parents, who were on the flight, to visit him, according to the Mirror.

Police took the unidentified suspect into custody and have charged him with “false news compromising the safety of an aircraft in flight,” according to the Independent.

His next court date is May 21.

If convicted, the alleged hoaxer could face up to five years in prison and a fine of nearly $85,000, the Independent reported.