London, Jan. 24 (Reuters): Military jets were launched to escort a diverted Heathrow-bound Etihad flight today after an incident involving a passenger, the ministry of defence said.

The flight from Abu Dhabi had been approaching Heathrow when it was diverted to nearby Stansted Airport at about mid-day. Police later boarded the plane and escorted a man off, a Reuters witness said.

“Typhoon aircraft were launched this morning to escort a passenger aircraft due to an incident on board,” an MoD statement said. Essex police said it was not a terrorism-related incident.

A spokeswoman for the airline said the Heathrow-bound flight had been diverted because of a “disruptive passenger who had been making inappropriate comments”.

“There had been no direct threat to the safety of the plane,” she added.

Reuters photographer Paul Childs said the man, sitting two rows behind him at the back of the plane, had not put up a struggle when police arrived.

“The plane’s captain came on the tannoy and said a direct verbal threat to the airline had been made,” Childs said. “A member of the cabin crew said he had made a bomb threat.

“The man had come to one of the empty seats at the back of the plane during the flight. The first I knew something was happening was when the police came on board.”

Childs described him as white and having a British passport.

Another man had been taken off from the front of the plane, Childs was told.