Authorities said an Air France flight headed to Paris made an emergency landing in Kenya on Sunday after a suspicious device was reported on board. Kenyan Police Chief Joseph Boinnet said the Boeing 777 departed from Mauritius late Saturday night with 473 people aboard then the pilot requested permission to land the plane at Moi International Airport in Mombasa after a passenger discovered the device in the restroom. “The plane landed there safely at 12:37 a.m. local time.” All passengers were evacuated without incident. Bomb experts have retrieved the device and are working to determine whether it contains explosives. Authorities said the plane was removed from the runway and the airport was temporarily shut down following the incident but has since reopened. Air France Flight 463 was expected to arrive in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Sunday. The passengers are now undergoing questioning.
Update December 21, 2015: The CEO of Air France says a suspicious item that forced one of the airline’s planes to make an emergency landing in Kenya Sunday turned out to be a fake explosive rigged with cardboard, sheets of paper and a household timer. He says it’s the fourth bomb hoax against Air France in recent weeks.