A Ryanair plane has been forced to land in Minsk so a journalist on board could be arrested, Belarusian politicians have claimed.
Opposition party figures in Belarus said the ex-editor of the telegram channel Nexta, Roman Protasevich, has been detained by state authorities.
Nexta Live and its sister channel Nexta are prominent voices of the Belarus opposition that spoke out against the election of president Alexander Lukashenko last year in presidential polls that were widely denounced as rigged.
Russian media quoted the Minsk airport press service as saying the plane had made an emergency landing following an alleged bomb scare.
Belta, the state-owned news agency in Belarus, said President Lukashenko had personally given the order for the plane to land at Minsk following the bomb alert, and that a MiG-29 fighter jet had been despatched to accompany the Ryanair plane.
Nexta said no bomb was found on board and the passengers were searched, after which Mr Protasevich, 26, was detained.
Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne TD said that the situation was of "extreme concern".
He wrote on Twitter; "The situation regarding the Ryanair plane in Minsk is of extreme concern. @dfatirl is engaging with the airline and EU colleagues. I’ve been updated by @Tsihanouskaya and @APranckevicius - we will keep in touch urgently."
Since August's election the 66-year-old Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, has cracked down on dissenting voices, with many opposition figures either arrested or forced to flee into exile.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who was beaten by Alexander Lukashenko last year has demanded Mr Protasevich's release.
