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Today's opening ceremony at Sochi 2014. AP Photo

Flight diverted after bomb threat man demands to be taken to Sochi

The threat came as the Winter Olympics got under way.

TURKEY SCRAMBLED AN F-16 fighter jet to accompany a passenger plane arriving in Istanbul from Ukraine today after a bomb threat was made by a passenger demanding to go to the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi, Turkish officials said.

Television footage showed the Pegasus Airlines flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkov arriving in Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport.

“People are still inside but the pilot called security and gave them a signal that they can enter the plane. There is a translator – a Turkish man near the Ukrainian to calm him down,” an airport official said.

The passenger was believed to have drunk alcohol and was calmed down by the crew and persuaded to let the plane, a Boeing 737-800, land in Istanbul at 6:02 pm (1602 GMT), according to Dogan news agency.

An official from Turkey’s transport ministry said there were 110 passengers on board and confirmed that a bomb threat had been made but said the plane had landed safely.

Security teams were continuing inspections on the plane, the ministry said in a statement.

Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Daren Butler and Evrim Ergin; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Dasha Afanasieva and Sonya Hepinstall

Copyright 2014 Thomson Reuters/ Click for Restrictions.

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    Mute Steven McTowelie
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:17 PM

    Western mainstream media coverage of these games looks set to concentrate on gay rights, terrorism and Putin, instead of sport.

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    Mute Pat Mustard
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:19 PM
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    Mute Lad
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:39 PM

    It’s still probably the best exposure the Winter Olympics will ever get though! To be fair what I saw of the opening ceremony it didn’t look bad, but twitter has gone crazy with all the abuse.. Seems fashionable to bash it now, which is very unfair on the teams involved..

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    Mute Jeremy Usbourne
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    Feb 7th 2014, 7:14 PM

    It certainly picked up after the slig that in introducing the athletes.

    The opera & choir singing was amazing.

    Good fireworks display at the end.

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    Mute Padraic O'Dwyer
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    Feb 8th 2014, 5:06 AM

    @ Pat Mustard : The first relatively balanced article I have read in the media. I have been living in Russia for the past seven years and have not witnessed any more prejudice against gay people than in Europe in general (In 2011 30 people were murdered in the US in anti-gay motivated attacks.) Gay people that I know here are very angry that this issue has been hijacked by the western media for political gains. (T hey interpret it as “Russian bashing “and nothing else) It does not help them. They live very normal lives here , not any different than in Holland or Germany. Russian society is in general is a very tolerant society .Of course there are some isolated cases in big cities, but where not ?

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    Mute NsSNBbTZ
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    Feb 8th 2014, 1:51 PM

    Media is used as a political tool massively from the other side of Atlantic. Western propaganda, nothing else

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    Mute Jeremy Usbourne
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:00 PM

    Whatever it takes to liven up this opening ceremony!

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    Mute Mick Jordan.
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:15 PM

    And so it begins.

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    Mute Dave Dson
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:04 PM

    The next couple of weeks seem to have gotten off to a blast – almost.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 7th 2014, 7:23 PM

    I really hope that there is no major incident at these games. I am a huge supporter of the oppressed LGBT in Russia but there is not call for violence and no excuse for it.

    The really frightening thing is, that should there be an incident, Russians LGBT will be blamed.

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    Mute Johnny O Connor
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:03 PM

    Was it father pat mustard I wonder

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    Mute Paddy Reid
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:05 PM

    Pat Mustard was a milkman!

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    Mute Spoddgy
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:22 PM

    Fr. Crilly…… Ya ignorant b*st*rd!!

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    Mute Johnny O Connor
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    Feb 7th 2014, 9:11 PM

    Haha my bad. Baby brain

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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 7th 2014, 6:23 PM

    What a patient

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    Mute Stephen McMahon
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    Feb 7th 2014, 8:17 PM

    Maybe they are a massive fan of adjacent toilets.

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    Mute David Giles
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    Feb 8th 2014, 10:21 AM

    Drunkenness is a bigger danger to most Russians than terrorism. And that is true in Ireland now also.

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    Mute Padraic O'Dwyer
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    Feb 8th 2014, 11:11 AM

    @ David : Actually German people drink more alcohol (Volume per % of the population over drinking age) than the Irish, according to statistics. They drink at home though. All alcohol is very cheap in German supermarkets.

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