Learjet intercepted in Rome no fly zone

[Wedge]

BBC -

Italian military jets have intercepted a plane flying over the capital Rome where world leaders had gathered for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Two F-16s forced the aircraft - heading to the city's Ciampino airport - towards a local airport, Italian news agencies said.

There might have been a bomb on the plane, intelligence and military sources said.

A massive security operation has been under way all day around the capital.

Is the bit about the bomb just a classic journo misquote of 'for all we know there could have been a bomb on the plane'?

[Paterbrat]

Going in to Beirut during the civil war in a Lear 25 the gents on the ground assumed we were carrying two bombs and acted accordingly, luckily they missed us and our tip tanks, and I don't think they were going to write anything.

[airship]

The Italians appear to have improved on their behaviour then?! I seem to recall that they were quite adept at shooting down civil airliners a few decades ago...and then keeping mum... :uhoh:

[brabazon]

Had the pilot not read the NOTAM?!

[Jet2]

Well it was NOTAM'd so either they didn't read them or they had a bad case of map shift :ouch:

from BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4425631.stm

Italian military jets have intercepted a plane flying over the capital Rome where world leaders had gathered for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Two F-16s forced the aircraft - heading to the city's Ciampino airport - towards a nearby air base, Italian news agencies said.

There were fears a bomb may have been on board, but no bomb was found, intelligence and military sources said.

A massive security operation has been under way all day around the capital.

Thousands of police, backed by the Italian army, were deployed to ensure public safety and the security of dignitaries for the occasion.

The aircraft was said to be an executive plane from the Balkans bound for Ciampino, which serves both military and civilian aircraft, the Italian ANSA news agency reported.

Air traffic was diverted away from the airspace over the city, and Ciampino airport was closed to commercial traffic on Friday.

Rome's main Fiumicino airport has remained open.

[Darth Nigel]

It always seems to happen that some sod flies into one of these "no-fly" zones and is escorted safely away.

I'm starting to wonder whether it's being done on purpose, so the appropriate government agencies can be seen to be alert and responsive and so on-top-of things. Not to mention reminding the common public that the "War on Terror™" is on-going and these various agencies/politicians/manufacturers of anti-terror-tools still need our financial support and blind commitment, especially in any upcoming elections/legislature/programs that may be on the horizon

Then again, I could just being too cynical.

[FLEXJET]

I'm almost certain YU-BRZ of AVIO SERVICE was the aircraft.
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=YU-BRZ&distinct_entry=true

[Fried_Chicken]

Presumably the aircraft was under some sort of ATC service so howcome they (ATC) didn't inform the pilot that they were entering a "no-fly" zone? Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that Italian ATC have dropped a clanger

Fried Chicken

[PAXboy]

D.N. I think that is certainly one of the methods used. It was inevitable that someone was going to get into trouble. Wot, all that overtime and not one trigger happy and/or dedicated service person got to do anything? This is on the BBC web site at 22:35 [local UK]
"It was intercepted after we received reliable intelligence there was a bomb on board," an Italian Air Force official told Reuters news agency. Always good to know that there is so much reliable information out there. We are all so thankful that they did not receive reliable information about it carrying weapons of mass destruction. :rolleyes:

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[Sandstone Cowboy]

Aircraft was collecting the Macedonian President - believe they have just taken delivery of a new Learjet 60. (Z3-MKD ?)

[rotornut]

There were fears a bomb may have been on board
Who is responsible for that nonsense? The beeb or someone else?

[AA717driver]

If you have a Learjet with full tip tanks, why would you need a bomb on board?:*

Congrats to General Dynamics (Lockheed) for selling the Italian Air Force F-16's... (and very quickly, too!;)). TC

[cwatters]

Imagine you are in the USA looking down on Rome through a spy sat. You spot a little plane making a wrong turn. What do you do? You don't really want to admit that you can read the newspaper that the co-pilot has on his lap so you shout bomb down the phone to your Itallian contacts...or something like that perhaps.

[cringe]

Apparently the Italians were acting upon a tip that a Serbian plane had a bomb on board. On the ground in Rome they stopped and searched a second plane, ready to fly the Serbian-Montenegrin delegation back home.