Manchester: A 47-year-old man, arrested for allegedly making a mid-air hoax bomb threat that forced a Qatar Airways plane carrying 282 people to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport, has been referred for assessment of his mental health.

The passenger, who has not been named, was arrested after the plane landed yesterday with an RAF jet escorting the aircraft to safety. The man was assessed by medical staff and again by a mental health team after the incident. The RAF Typhoon was seen escorting the Qatar Airways flight from Doha after the pilot was handed a note about a possible device on board. The man was sectioned "for a fuller assessment", Greater Manchester police said today.