Bomb threat suspends Air France flight in Caracas

Venezuelan officials have evacuated passengers from an Air France commercial jet airliner due to depart to Paris after French authorities warned of a potential bomb threat.

Venezuela’s Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Miguel Rodriguez Torres said on Sunday that French intelligence services have told their Venezuelan counterparts late on Saturday that “a terror group would seek to place a bomb, to blow it up on a flight between France and Venezuela.”

“We are going to search this aircraft inch by inch. And then the flight will be rescheduled,” he said. “So we apologize to passengers, but it is our duty to protect lives.”

Rodriguez did not list any suspected group and gave no indication as to a possible motive.

He added that it was not clear if the threat referred to the overnight flight to the French capital from Caracas’ Simon Bolivar International Airport, or vice versa.

In September, French police seized a record haul of 1.3 tons of pure cocaine on board an Air France cargo plane coming from Venezuela.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said at the time that the drugs had been packed into 30 suitcases, and had a street value of about 200 million euros ($270 million).

Last month, Venezuelan authorities arrested four more people in connection with the case. The four arrested were employees of Caracas’ Simon Bolivar International Airport.

Venezuela has taken 28 people into custody since French authorities seized the shipment. Those detained include eight members of Venezuela’s National Guard, various airport officials and an Air France employee.

Three Italians and two Britons were also detained in France in relation with the case.