Those responsible for Ryanair 'hijacking' must face sanctions, von der Leyen says

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pushed for sanctions after the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Belarus, shortly before a EU summit is set to discuss such measures on Monday in Brussels. “Those responsible for the Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned,” von der Leyen said late on Sunday on Twitter, adding European Union leaders on Monday would discuss what action to take. Belarusian authorities scrambled a fighter jet and flagged what turned out to be a false bomb alert to force a Ryanair plane to land on Sunday and then detained an opposition-minded journalist who was on board, drawing criticism from across Europe. “Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately,” von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive Commission, said on Twitter.<br/>