A routine commercial flight from Athens to Lithuania spiraled into a dramatic international incident that has world leaders outraged. Here's what happened, and why it's a huge deal.

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A routine commercial flight from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania, spiraled into a dramatic international incident after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko forced the flight to make an unscheduled pit stop in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

How it happened: As soon as the plane approached Lithuanian airspace, Belarusian authorities sent a fighter jet to accompany the plane to Minsk on account of a "bomb threat," but that turned out to be a ruse. Lukashenko was after one of the passengers, dissident journalist and blogger Roman Protasevich, who was arrested once the plane landed in Minsk.

European leaders were stunned and outraged by Lukashenko's move. Poland's prime minister called it "an "unprecedented act of state terrorism" and Lithuania's president asked NATO and the EU to "immediately react to the threat posed to international civil aviation by the Belarus regime."

Big picture: Considered "Europe's last dictator," Lukashenko has held power in Belarus for almost 27 years, and his authoritarian actions-including a brutal crackdown on protesters last year following a disputed election-are increasing tensions with the West.

Looking ahead...EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today for a summit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said officials will discuss taking action in response to the "outrageous and illegal behavior" of the Belarusian regime.

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