Tony Blair

Blair in suspect enemy plane

Updated 06.56 Fri May 23 2008
Keywords: Tony Blair

Israeli fighter aircraft were scrambled to intercept a jet carrying former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Blair's plane had roused suspicions after it failed to identify itself as a friendly aircraft.

It was only after the two warplanes had taken up an attack position that his aircrew used the radio to explain who they were and who they had on board

It was only after the two warplanes had taken up an attack position that his aircrew used the radio to explain who they were and who they had on board, sources said.

Mr Blair, who has served for 11 months as Middle East envoy for The Quartet, was en route to Israel from a World Economic Forum meeting at Sharm el Sheikh in neighbouring Egypt on Wednesday.

It was only after the aircrew accounted for themselves that the intercepting aircraft peeled off and returned to base.

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: "Mr Blair was one of a number of delegates on a flight back from the World Economic Forum in Sharm El Sheikh.

"We were not aware of any problem at the time, and have not been notified of any issue with the flight."

Israel has one of the most stringent air defence systems in the world and warplanes are often scrambled for false alarms.

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