Man charged after RAF fighter jets escort passenger plane to Stansted Airport

A man who was arrested after a passenger flight was intercepted by RAF fighter jets has been charged with fraud.

The Pakistan International Airlines aircraft, which was flying from Lahore to Heathrow, was escorted to Stansted Airport by RAF Typhoons, following what the airline described as a "vague security threat through an anonymous phone call".

Khalid Baqa, of Priory Road in Barking, east London, was due to be arrested on arrival at Heathrow but was instead detained at Stansted, police said.

The 52-year-old has been charged with committing fraud by false representation and has been bailed to appear in court on 23 February.

The Metropolitan Police told Sky News he was not the cause of a reported disturbance that forced the flight to be diverted.

Footage apparently filmed outside the airport showed showed dozens of police vehicles, ambulances and fire engines by the runway.

Passenger Naz Amin said the plane was surrounded by police after it landed "in the middle of nowhere".

"The police came on the plane about 45 minutes to an hour later and they took a gentleman off the plane," he told LBC Radio.

"He wasn't being disruptive at all, he was just sitting down ... there was no-one being disruptive on the plane."

Essex Police said the security alert was "not believed to be a hijack situation or terror matter".