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TERRORISM

Frenchwoman on plane: I’ve got a bomb in my body

A jumbo jet travelling from Paris to Charlotte in the United States was diverted after a Frenchwoman claimed she had a device implanted on her body. 

Published: 23 May 2012 11:13 CEST

Crew on board the Boeing 767 did not want to take any chances. When a passenger passed a note to a flight attendant stating she had a “device in in her body”, they decided to land in Bangor in the state of Maine. 

The captain asked passengers if any doctors were on board, US media report. The female passenger was examined and no recent scars were found that could indicate a possible implant. She had no checked bagagge.

The female passenger, a French citizen in her 20s or 30s, was born in Cameroon and visiting the United States for 10 days. 

Several F-15 fighter were sent to intercept the Boeing, which was carrying 179 passengers on board, and escort it to Maine’s Bangor airport on Tuesday. 

Alexa Moore, a 20-year-old student told US news network ABC News, that the passengers were told the plane was diverted due to fuel shortages – and were shocked to discover the truth.

“They didn’t scream or anything, ’cause I think she was already off the plane, but they, you know, jaws dropped,” she said.

The female passenger who claimed having a body implant has been arrested.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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