TURKISH AIRLINES JET DIVERTED TO SHANNON FOLLOWING ON-BOARD BANJO THREAT

A Turkish Airlines jet was forced to land at Shannon Airport today after crew members became aware of a threat of a banjo being on board.

The plane – bound for Istanbul, Turkey from Houston, Texas – was diverted to Ireland after a piece of paper with “banjo“ written on it was discovered in the toilet.

After an extensive search however no instrumental devices were found on board said a Turkish Airlines spokesperson.

"We take threats like this very seriously. In this day and age you cannot be too careful with all the turmoil going on in the world. Banjoes turn up at sessions all over the place and people never see them coming."

"There has been a terrible loss of life from the music because of the banjo. It sucks the life from sessions completely. As soon as the air hostess spotted the note she went straight to the captain. Sometimes people sneak these instruments past security and there have even been instances of the instrument being taken into the cabin."

Security has been increased by airlines in recent years with people having to remove their shoes so they can be checked for plectrums at security while many banjo players have invested in lead lined cases in order to bypass x-ray equipment.

Authorities say the incident will be investigated by Gardai and that the note found beared all the hallmarks of a banjo player including poor handwriting.