Police check Air India plane after Canada scare

TORONTO, Sep 19 (Reuters) Canadian police were investigating today after an Air India flight turned back to Toronto after reports of a suspicious package aboard.

''At approximately 2300 hrs local time yestersay, our officers responded in regards to an Air India flight that had a suspicious object on board,'' Peel Police Sgt. Derek Rice said. ''We're still investigating to identify what the package is.'' Baggage was being screened again on the flight, which was bound for Birmingham, England.

Canadian media said the pilot radioed a request to return to Toronto about an hour into the flight.

Police will give more details of their investigation later today.

Last week, a Dubai-bound Air India flight was diverted to a military airbase due to an erroneous alert issued by the Indian aviation authorities.

In 1985, Air India Flight 182 was destroyed in a bomb attack during a flight from Canada to India, killing 329 people in history's deadliest bombing of a passenger airline. A near simultaneous attack on a second Air India flight killed two Tokyo airport workers.

REUTERS DKA PM1905