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   Belarus denies that it forced a Ryanair plane to land at Minsk airport last   
   May. On Thursday evening, four high-ranking Belarusian officials were charged   
   in the United States with air piracy.   
       
   President Alexander Lukashenko responded Friday to state news agency Belta by   
   saying that the flight had not been intercepted by the Belarusians.    
       
   On board the plane that was en route from Greece to Lithuania was Belarusian   
   opposition member Roman Protasevich, who was arrested after a forced landing   
   in Minsk.   
       
   The four accused White Russians remain at large for the time being. They are   
   suspected of having staged a bomb threat in order to lead Protasevich's flight   
   to Minsk.   
       
   There were four Americans on board the plane and prosecutors say "U.S. law was   
   recklessly violated". "The next pilot to receive a report of a bomb threat   
   could question its authenticity," an FBI spokesman said.   
       
   Yet the American indictment, which is supported by the FBI, among others,   
   means little in practice. In the US, the individuals would risk life   
   imprisonment, but in Belarus they remain at large. President Alexander   
   Lukashenko has not been charged.   
       
   Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States imposed sanctions on   
   Lukashenko's regime over the incident last year.   
      
   --- DB4 - Jan 20 2022   
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