Spain hold 12 on suspicion of faking in-flight emergency to try and get into Europe

Group were said to have arranged daring immigration attempt via Facebook

Two of the men detained after bringing their plane down in Mallorca with a fake medical emergency (EPA)

Twelve men suspected of faking a medical emergency to force a plane to land in Spain so they could illegally enter the country have been detained without bail.

An Air Arabia Maroc flight made an emergency landing in Mallorca on Friday evening after reports one passenger was seriously ill.

However, when the plane touched down on the Balearic Island’s airport, a group of men allegedly coerced the flight crew to let them down onto the tarmac, from where they attempted to break out of the airport and into Spanish territory.

The airport was shut down for several hours as the authorities attempted to track down the group.

The man who claimed he was unwell by reportedly saying he was suffering a diabetic crisis was taken to hospital but swiftly released once the medical staff realised he was faking the emergency, the newspaper El Pais reported.

He had previously been arrested in Spain last year for resisting the authorities, the outlet added.

Investigators are reportedly looking into whether the events were part of a co-ordinated plan, possibly arranged via Facebook.

The court did not release the nationalities of the men detained, but the flight they were on was on its way from Morocco to Istanbul.

Spain has been wrestling with significant amounts of illegal immigration, especially with migrants in North Africa attempting to break into its tiny exclaves of Ceuta and Mellilla.

In May, a record 6,000 people forced their way into Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco, the Spanish authorities reported.

The court in Mallorca accused the men detained of sedition, on land and on a plane, and of coercion.

Two of them also stand accused of promoting illegal immigration. An act of sedition carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison in Spain.