A US military refuelling aircraft transmitted a general emergency code while flying off the coast of the UK, the flight tracking site Flightradar24 reported.
Flight trackers show the US Air Force plane appeared to be flying in large circles over the North Sea north of Norfolk in the east of England after taking off from RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, at 6.26am.
At about 7.30am the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker stopped circling over the North Sea and began to head southward, tracking data showed. It was later observed circling over Bury St Edmunds, close to Mildenhall, tracking data showed.
A representative for the US Air Force confirmed an emergency had taken place on board but did not elaborate on its nature. There were no reported injuries.
“On 11 February, 2022, out of an abundance of caution, the crew of a KC-135 Stratotanker called an in-flight emergency during a refuelling mission,” the representative said.
“The crew followed all prescribed emergency and safety procedures which enabled them to safely land the aircraft on RAF Mildenhall at approximately 8.14am.
“At no time was any member at risk and due to the high standards by which US Air Force aircrew are trained, everyone on board returned safely with no injuries.”
The plane provides aerial refuelling capability for the US Air Force as well as to the Navy, Marine Corps and allied nations.
The aircraft can also carry medical teams and patients for air evacuations, the US Air Force said.
Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, the Mildenhall base primarily supports US Air Force operations, and is the home of the 100th Air Refuelling Wing.
US President Joe Biden touched down in the airbase last June on his first international trip in office. In a speech, he thanked American servicemen and women for doing “an amazing job keeping Covid-19 under control on the base”.
He was the latest in a series of American leaders to visit the Suffolk base. These include Donald Trump, George W Bush and Richard Nixon.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
