Roman Protasevich is the founder and former editor of the NEXTA channel on the Telegram social media platform, which has become a popular channel for Lukashenko's enemies to share information and organize anti-government protests.
It has all the elements of Jason Bourne's plot: A commercial plane carrying an opposition journalist is being hijacked by a MiG-29 aircraft under the direction of the powerful Belarus president.
This protagonist is very real. His name was Roman Protasevich, and on Sunday, he drew international attention because the Belarussian government and its almighty leader were desperately trying to stop him.
Protasevich, 26, was flying from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania, when a Belarusian air force flew over a military plane. The plane, at the Irish airline Ryanair, was airlifted to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where thousands of protesters were detained for thousands of years.
The most rejected plan was the recent attempt by Alexander Lukashenko, the country's most powerful leader, to suppress Protasevich's influential voice.
Why is the government so focused on Protasevich?
There are only a few private media outlets in Belarus, where many media outlets have been forced to close after widespread protests over rival presidential elections in 2020.
Protasevich is the founder and former editor of the NEXTA channel on the Telegram social media platform, which has become a popular channel for Lukashenko's enemies to share information and organize anti-government protests.
He fled the country in 2019, fearing arrest. But he continued to roam Lukashenko's regime while living in exile in Lithuania, so much so that he was accused in November of causing public unrest and hatred of the community.
As a teenager, Protasevich became an outspoken opponent, first being tried by the authorities. He was expelled from a prestigious school for participating in a 2011 protest and was later expelled from the journalism program at Minsk State University.
What happened on Sunday?
Protasevich was returning to Vilnius from a Greek economic summit with Belarus's opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Greek officials said.
The plane, which was carrying about 170 passengers, was supposed to take about three hours. As it neared the border between Belarus and Lithuania, the MiG-29 fighter jet was forced to cross.
Lukashenko, often referred to as "Europe's last emperor," personally ordered a military plane to take Ryanair to Minsk airport after being bombed, media reported. According to the statement, Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has issued an "undisputed order" to "make the U-turn and land."
No bomb was found on the board, law enforcement officials said.
Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, strongly criticized the Belarussian government on Twitter on Sunday for his arrest in Protasevich. He called it "a shocking and shocking act to divert a commercial plane and arrest a journalist."
"We want an international investigation and we are working with our partners on the next steps," Blinken said. "The United States stands with the people of Belarus."
What kind of punishment does he face?
Belarus's largest security agency, called the KGB, has put Protasevich's name on the terrorist list. If convicted and convicted of terrorism, he could face the death penalty.
Cases of civil unrest and public hostility carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.
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