A plane which made an emergency landing at Prestwick following security fears is back in the air after a 13-hour stopover in Ayrshire.

The aircraft travelling between Egypt and the US was diverted yesterday after a seemingly threatening note was found in a toilet.

But following a search of the plane by police officers overnight, it was allowed to continue its journey this morning.

"Officers from Police Scotland have carried out an extensive search of the aircraft resulting in no suspicious items being found," a spokesman for the service said.

"Passengers and crew are now aboard and the aircraft is continuing its flight to New York.

"Officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident."

The Egypt Air Boeing 777 was escorted to Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, by Typhoons from RAF Leuchars during its flight from Cairo to JFK Airport in New York.

It landed about 2.30pm yesterday and was met by a heavy police presence. It took six hours before all 326 people on board were removed from the plane to be interviewed by police.

BBC employee Nada Tafik was on board the plane and said she found a note in a toilet apparently threatening to start a fire.

The plane was searched by officers once all passengers had disembarked.

Prestwick Airport is designated to deal with emergency incidents and it remained open while the Egypt Air plane sat on a runway.

Prestwick chief executive Iain Cochrane said: "We carefully plan and train for this kind of eventuality and I am relieved it ended safely and without incident.

"It was a complex and constantly evolving matter and I want to thank my staff for their unswerving professionalism and commitment during the 13 hours the aircraft was here, and praise the excellent manner in which all agencies involved worked together to resolve the matter.

"I must also thank the airline and their crew for their rapid deployment of resources and their contribution to resolving the issue.

"Our planning was robust and worked well in challenging circumstances. We have also learned some useful lessons which will serve us well for the future."