Retired French police officer detained in connection with Air France bomb hoax

Authorities have detained a French retired police officer travelling on the Air France flight forced to make an emergency landing in Kenya after a fake bomb was found in a toilet.

The man was arrested upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Monday according to an official in the prosecutor's office.

The official did not release the suspect's name or information about what he is suspected of.

The hoax - the fourth against Air France in recent weeks - comes amid heightened concerns about extremist violence in many countries, and aggravated passenger jitters around the Christmas holiday season.

It is not clear whether the suspect had also been questioned in Kenya. A Kenyan police official said six passengers were questioned on Sunday, including the person who informed the crew about the device.

Passengers on the Air France flight were escorted to hotels in Kenya after the emergency landing. Credit: Reuters

The arrest is part of an investigation prompted by a lawsuit filed by Air France on Monday for reckless endangerment.

The lawsuit does not name a perpetrator but leaves it to investigators to determine who might eventually be sent to trial.

France has been on high alert for terrorist activity and in a state of emergency since Islamic extremist attacks on November 13 in Paris killed 130 people.

Passengers from the affected flight arrived in Paris on Monday, some crying as they embraced loved ones.

Passenger Marine Gorlier said: "We thought we were going to die. Because of the speed of the airplane going down, we thought we would crash in the sea."

Another passenger, Antoine Dupont said: "I really admired the crew, because they thought it was a real bomb and they remained very serene.

"One of my grandchildren said: 'The (evacuation) slide was super.'"