Possible terrorist attempt Stockholm
BBC - Thursday, 29 August, 2002, 20:52 GMT 21:52 UK
20 held after gun found at airport
An airline passenger and about 20 other people, thought to be heading for an Islamic conference in the UK, are being held in Sweden after a handgun was found in hand luggage.
Swedish police say they are treating the incident "very, very seriously" and a terrorist connection is being considered.
A Swedish police spokesman told BBC News Online a 29-year-old man, who is from Tunisia but has Swedish citizenship, was being questioned along with other passengers, also believed to be going to the conference.
The gun was found on Thursday at Vasteras Airport, west of Stockholm, as passengers prepared to board Ryanair flight FR685 to Stansted Airport in Essex, a spokeswoman for the airline said.
Ulf Palm, a spokesman for Vasteras Police, said luggage and the plane itself were being checked for any explosive devices.
"We are checking to see there are no explosives or guns," he said. "We are taking this very, very seriously.
"The suspect was with a group of about 20 people and we have information, which is being checked out, that they were heading for an Islamic conference in Birmingham.
Mr Palm could not say when the flight would go ahead.