Pratasevich started to panic when the Ryanair flight turned course, a witness says


 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stark reprimand of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday over allegations that he personally ordered fighter jets to scramble in part of the effort to divert a commercial airliner carrying an opposition figure.

The Mig-29 fighters were thought to be responding to a bomb threat, but no bomb was ever found. The opposition figure was arrested in Minsk. Critics said the move was tantamount to a government-sanctioned hijacking.

"We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime’s brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist," Blinken tweeted. "We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. The United States stands with the people of Belarus."

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