By TERRY MADDAFORD and NZPA
NADI - Tame Iti and nine other Maori activists are being held at Nadi Airport in Fiji after an Air New Zealand pilot refused to fly him home.
Fiji police confirmed last night that Captain Paul Spence had refused to let Mr Iti board flight NZ45 after a bomb threat forced the pilot to abort an earlier trip to Auckland with Mr Iti on it.
Mr Iti was questioned in connection with the threat, which was delivered to Air New Zealand as the Boeing 767-300, carrying 255 passengers, was about an hour into its afternoon flight.
Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff last night supported the pilot, describing Mr Iti and his group as hypocrites and "apologists for terrorism."
"They are there to give comfort to the people who are actively threatening to kill the hostages," Mr Goff said.
"The bomb threat was an organised attempt by the hostage-takers to stop [Mr Iti and others] being returned home to New Zealand."
Mr Iti and his supporters, including former MP Bruce Gregory, had arrived in Nadi on Thursday night but were denied entry and had their passports seized. They were held under military detention at the airport overnight before being told to return home.
Last night, talks involving Mr Iti, Air New Zealand and immigration authorities were held behind closed doors in a bid to resolve the situation.
Mr Iti told the Herald that some passengers objected to flying with him but Air New Zealand staff said Captain Spence refused to fly the activist home. Passengers were forced to wait several hours while a decision was made on Mr Iti's fate.
When the flight finally departed again about 8.20 pm (NZ time), Mr Iti and his supporters were not on board.
Yesterday afternoon, flight staff had just begun serving meals when Captain Spence told the passengers: "We have had a bomb threat on the aircraft."
He immediately turned the jet back to Nadi, while crew searched overhead lockers and luggage compartments.
When Captain Spence landed the plane, he taxied it to an auxiliary runway well away from the terminal as a security precaution.
Armed soldiers searched the aircraft because of the "delicate situation," says an Air New Zealand spokesman.
Fiji police took Mr Iti and his supporters away for questioning. They were due to return to Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight this morning.
Activists held after threat stops flight
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