A Qatar Airways flight from New York was forced to make an unscheduled landing at a British airport due to a disruptive passenger, local police said on Thursday.

"It would appear the staff had to restrain a male during the flight and the pilot had to re-route and land at Manchester. Police attended and have arrested the male," a police spokesman said.

The airport had earlier said the flight, which was headed to Doha, was diverted due to a minor medical issue. – Reuters