Prosecutor general launches inquiry into Ryanair forced landing

In what some EU leaders called a hijacking, the passenger plane flying from Athens to Lithuania on Sunday was diverted to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet. On landing, authorities took dissident journalist Roman Protasevich into custody.

"The prosecutor general has ordered an investigation into the landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk. Most probably the investigation will also involve a number of steps at the international level," the prosecutor's office spokesman told Reuters.

The spokesman added the inquiry will look into use of deceit and threat to take over control over an aircraft and violate the freedom of its passengers.

The plane was registered in Poland and so the case falls under Polish jurisdiction, deputy foreign minister Paweł Jabłoński said.

"We expect that the European Union's reaction will be very strong and immediate," Jabłoński told Reuters as EU leaders are expected to discuss additional sanctions against Belarus at a summit starting in Brussels later on Monday.

Separately, a private radio RMF, quoting unnamed sources, said the Polish government plans to order its national airline LOT to stop using Belarusian airspace. The government spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

A LOT spokesman said the airline is considering changing routes of flights over Belarus, including routes to Moscow and Minsk, but no decisions have been made yet.