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Saudia plane isolated at Manila Airport after pilot reports 'threat' Saudia plane isolated at Manila Airport after 'false hijacking alarm'
(35 minutes later)
A Saudia airlines plane has been isolated at Manila Airport after the pilot told air traffic controllers the aircraft was "under threat". A Saudia airlines plane has been isolated at Manila Airport after an apparent false alarm.
The Philippines' civil aviation authority said a security situation was underway but did not confirm local reports of a hijacking. The pilot informed air traffic controllers the aircraft was "under threat" but authorities later said a reported hijacking was a false alarm.
Flight SVA 872, from Jeddah, was 20 miles from landing when the threat was reported, with controllers sending it to land in an isolated area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.  In a statement its official Twitter account, Saudia - also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines - attributed the incident to a "false alarm for hijacking".
The chief of Metro Manila Police told a local radio station "there is a situation" at the airport and said he was travelling there immediately on Tuesday. The Philippines' civil aviation authority said investigations were underway on Tuesday afternoon.
The plane landed at around 3pm local time (8am BST), according to local reports. Flight SV872, from Jeddah, was 20 miles from landing when the threat was reported, with controllers sending the Boeing 777 to land in an isolated area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 
There was no immediate comment from Saudia, also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, which is the country's national flag carrier. The chief of Metro Manila Police told a local radio station "there is a situation" at the airport and said he was travelling there immediately.
The plane landed at around 3pm local time (8am BST), according to local reports, with television footage showing emergency services at the scene.
The incident came as millions of Muslims return from carrying out the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina.
Security is high in the Philippines amid an Islamist insurgency by the Isis-affiliated Abu Sayyaf group in the south and the ongoing "war on drugs" waged by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Since he took office in June, more than 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers have been killed by security forces and vigilantes, raising international alarm over judicial process.
Among them is Aurora Moynihan, the daughter of the late peer Lord Anthony Moynihan, who was found shot dead in Manila with a note reading: "Pusher to the celebrities, you are next".