Plane escapes unhurt after beamed by laser

A Saudi Airlines passenger plane escaped an accident when it was beamed by laser from an unknown source just as it was preparing to land in the Gulf Kingdom, a newspaper reported on Sunday. The pilot of the aircraft radioed the control tower at the airport in the western town of Taif and told them a laser beam flashed on the cockpit as he was about to land at dawn on Sunday, adding that the beam came from the western side of the airport, Sabq Arabic language daily said. “The control tower quickly informed the airport police, who deployed patrols around the airport and combed all areas there,” the paper said. “Police and security men were still searching for the laser source and investigating the incident which jeopardized the aircraft.” From Emirate News