Belarus opposition figure detained when flight diverted

A founder of a messaging app channel that has been a key information conduit for opponents of Belarus' authoritarian president has been arrested after an airliner in which he was traveling on was diverted to Belarus because of a bomb threat

KYIV, Ukraine -- A founder of a messaging app channel that has been a key information conduit for opponents of Belarus’ authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after an airliner in which he was traveling on was diverted to Belarus because of a bomb threat. The presidential press service said President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the Ryanair plane — traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania — to the Minsk airport. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Raman Pratasevich was arrested at the airport. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. Pratasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.