Chinese authorities have detained a 17-year-old boy in central Hubei Province who allegedly made a hoax bomb call that disrupted airport traffic because he "felt bored."
The teenager from China's eastern Shandong Province allegedly called Yichang Sanxia Airport on Augusts 12, claiming his friend was in a taxi to the airport carrying knifes and explosives, police in Yichang City said today.
The call prompted an emergency police response to intercept vehicles entering the airport and strengthen security. However, nothing was found, police said.
The boy surnamed Liu was detained on Sunday and admitted that the call was intended as a joke as he "felt bored."
Liu may face charges of fabricating and circulating fake terrorism information, according to the police, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
China has seen a spate of bomb hoaxes disrupting air traffic in recent years, leading experts to blame a lack of legal awareness among the public.
