Man held for hijack threat on plane

Beijing: Chinese police arrested a man on a flight who said he wanted to hijack the plane and then said he meant the threat as a joke, local media reported on Sunday.

The man, in his thirties, was on a plane from Shanghai to Beijing on Saturday evening when he made the threat, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Just as the plane was landing, someone suddenly yelled, 'I want to hijack the plane'," a passenger told Xinhua. "The passenger's explanation was that he was just joking, but because he created terror he has now been placed in legal detention," the report said, citing police.

As China readies for the Beijing Olympic Games in August, authorities are especially wary of any security threats, particularly after police claimed to have stymied planned attacks by Uighur militants demanding independence for the country's far northwestern Xinjiang region.

The plane from Shanghai had more than 300 passengers. The detained passenger never produced any weapons or dangerous objects, the report said.

After the plane touched down, police told people on the plane to stay seated and then took the man away. He told police that he "only wanted to joke around with everyone".