A suspicious sticker placed on an Easyjet areoplane meant that a flight was grounded at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Officers were called to the airport to assess the 9.40am flight to Venice on Saturday morning after a decision was made by the captain to halt take off over security fears.
It is understood that a sticker was placed on the rear door of the aeroplane that read “Midlands Mujahideen”. Mujahideen is the plural form of mujahid, the term for one engaged in Jihad.
All of the passengers were taken off the flights whilst a full search of the plane took place.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said “At around 10.15am, a suspicious item was seen on a plane due to fly out of the airport, and the captain requested passengers disembark so that airline staff could search the plane as a precaution.
No items that posed any risk to passengers were discovered and at around 11am they were allowed to re-board the flight, which is continuing its journey.”