Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered fighter jets
to scramble in part of the effort to divert a commercial airliner carrying an
opposition figure, a 26 year old writer named Raman Pratasevich.
Pratasevich, facing charges that could result in the death
penalty, climbed abord a flight from Athens to the Lithuanian capital of
Vilnius when it changed course to head for Minsk. Flight tracker sites
indicated the plane was about six miles from the Lithuanian border when it was
diverted.
A witness said that Pratasevich started to panic when the
Ryanair flight turned course. When the plane arrived in Minsk, Pratasevich’s
luggage was "thrown out on the runway" and he was separated from the
rest of the passengers.
"We asked him what was going on." one passenger
said, according to the outlet. "He told us who he was and added: 'A death penalty awaits me here.' He was a
bit calmer, but trembling."