A man who joked that he had a bomb in a box he was carrying courted arrest at the check-in counter of the Kuching International Airport today and forced the rescheduling of three departing flights, according to a source.

The source said the man was checking in for a flight to Kota Baru about 10.30am.

"When checking in, he told the counter staff that he had a bomb in a box he was carrying. The counter staff immediately lodged a police report and he was arrested," the source.

The 'bomb' turned out to be the popular 'kek lapis' (layer cake) of Sarawak, the source added.

Kuching police chief ACP Abang Ahmad Abang Julai, when contacted, confirmed the incident took place and said a man had been arrested for investigation.

Aband Ahmad said police would reveal details at a press conference at 3.30pm today at the Kuching police headquarters.

- Bernama