Fighters scrambled

A passenger on the plane flying from Baltimore to Heathrow overheard two men sitting nearby talking about the possibility of taking control of an aircraft.

Cabin crew were alerted and the conversation reported to the captain, who radioed air traffic control.

It was handed to the military and Tornado F3s were sent to shadow the Boeing 767.

The Ministry of Defence spokeswoman declined to say whether the jets were scrambled from RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire or Scotland, for security reasons.

A British Airways spokesman said most of the 197 passengers would have been unaware there was anything amiss until their aircraft landed at Heathrow.

The airport's emergency vehicles were on standby as the plane touched down, and armed Scotland Yard officers boarded before passengers were allowed to disembark.

The two men were bundled off the aircraft and subjected to an hour-long interview.

However, police decided no offences had been committed and they were subsequently released.

The alert yesterday is the second since September 11 last year to prompt the RAF to scramble interceptors.

An American businessman on board the flight, who did not want to be named, said suspicions about the two men were first aroused soon after they boarded in Baltimore.

One, who was described as dishevelled and in his 50s, swapped seats with the other, who was in his 20s with long side-burns and wearing a beaded necklace.

Another passenger said: "If you picked the two most likely-looking terrorists on the plane, you would have picked those two. They stood out; they were not businessmen or women."

British Airways insisted there was no panic on board and most passengers would not have realised they were in any apparent danger until the pilot informed them after landing that police were coming on board.

However, one passenger said: "We were terrified; we just didn't know what was going on."