Air France bomb scare: 'Two held' in Paris Published duration 21 December 2015

image copyright EPA image caption The Boeing 777 was carrying 459 passengers when it was forced to land

Police in Paris have detained two people who were on an Air France flight forced to make an emergency landing in Kenya when a fake bomb was found on board, reports say.

A 58-year-old taken into custody is an ex-policeman from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, Europe 1 radio said.

His wife was being questioned as a witness.

Air France says the fake bomb was made of cardboard and a kitchen timer and posed no danger.

The Boeing 777 was on its way from Mauritius to Paris when the suspicious object was found in a plane toilet and the decision was made to make an emergency landing . The plane was then evacuated at Mombasa airport.

Police reportedly held the couple, who have not been named, on their return to France.

'Bad joke'

A spokesman told AFP news agency that the airline had "filed a legal complaint against unknown persons for endangering the lives of others".

Officials say 459 passengers and 14 crew members were on board the Boeing 777 when a contraption was found behind a bathroom mirror.

The suspect package was taken away for examination and Air France chief executive Frederic Gagey later said it was made of a cardboard box, paper and a timer.

He described it as a "bad joke".

Mr Gagey said there had been three bomb scares on Air France planes in the US in the last 15 days.

France remains on high alert after 130 people were killed during the jihadist attacks in Paris last month.