China detains man over fake flight threats

Man in southern China arrested for making fake bomb threats against 5 flights

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese police say they have detained a man suspected of making fake bomb threats this week against five domestic flights.

Police in the southern city of Shenzhen said they arrested the man early Thursday in a rental home in the city of Dongguan.

The man is accused of making threats Wednesday against five flights headed to Shenzen and Xi'an from other cities. The flights were operated by Shenzhen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines.

Police gave no word on a possible motive. They identified the suspect only by his surname, Wang, and say he is 26, unemployed and from northern China's Inner Mongolia.

The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, though a man who made such a threat last year received a four-year sentence.