BELARUS FLIGHT

helping organise massive protests against the authoritarian leader. He and his Russian girlfriend were led off the plane shortly after landing — and authorities haven’t said where they’re being held. The plane, which began its journey in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken called the diversion “shocking” and appealed for Pratasevich’s release. EU leaders were particularly forceful in their condemnation of the arrest and move against the plane, which was flying between two of the bloc’s member nations and was being operated by an airline based in Ireland, also a member.

The bloc summoned Belarus’ ambassador “to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities” and said in a statement the arrest was yet again “another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.”

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen earlier said it amounted to a “hijacking,” while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a “state-sponsored terror act.”

EU leaders have tried to bring Belarus closer to the bloc — to encourage democratic reforms and reduce the influence of Russia — but they have failed so far. On Monday, hours ahead of a previously planned summit, some EU leaders were threatening more sanctions — from scrapping landing rights in the bloc for Belarus’ national airline to exclusions from sporting events. The Belarusian foreign ministry on Monday bristled at what it described as “belligerent” EU statements, insisting that the country’s authorities acted “in full conformity with international rules.”

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’leary described the move as “a case of state-sponsored hijacking.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t say if the Belarusian authorities had contacted Russia about it.