An Egyptian traveler was detained at Velana International Airport (VIA) and held for five days after he made a joke about his aunt's bag having a bomb during the security check.

Authorities recognized the suspect as Peter Saman Marzouk Saman, 38, a national of Egypt. The arrest warrant states that he is under investigation for intimidation and providing false information.

Intimidation and spreading false information are crimes under both the Maldives Penal Code and the Act on Prohibition of Intimidation and Possession of Dangerous Weapons and Sharp Objects.

According to Section 4 of the aforementioned Act, intimidating an individual with death or severe physical injury is a grave criminal offense, carrying a penalty of six to 18 months of imprisonment.

The Penal Code additionally specifies intimidation in Section 120, whereas Article 520 makes it a crime to disseminate false news or supply false information.

The arrest warrant states that the suspect made the bomb comment while airport officials were trying to inspect his aunt’s luggage, a statement recorded in both the Aviation Security Command incident report and the police report.

He informed the court that he had made the remark in jest and expressed regret.

The court determined that such comments are inappropriate in a high-security setting like an airport and mandated his detention for public safety. The court observed that, being a foreign national, there was a possibility he could escape if granted release.

The Maldives Police Service is conducting additional inquiries into the case.

Airports consider any remark about bombs as a complete security risk, regardless of whether the individual insists it was a joke. There is no tolerance globally, and VIA adheres to the same international aviation security standards.