Three siblings have said they were hauled off an easyJet plane for questioning by counter-terrorism officers after a fellow passenger made false allegations they were looking at Islamic State propaganda on their phones.
Sakina Dharas and her brother and sister were interrogated on the tarmac for an hour as the plane waited after the anonymous denunciation which she believes was made maliciously because she was wearing a headscarf.
The airline has now apologised after the incident at Stansted last week as the three were heading to Naples for a weekend getaway.
Dharas, a pharmacist in London, was on her way to Naples for a weekend getaway along with her brother Ali and sister Maryam. During the interrogation, counter-terrorism officers checked their phones and passports and informed them that a fellow passenger had “told us that you are members of IS and they have seen material on your phone,” Dharas said.
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The family was allowed back on to the plane after an hour’s delay. According to Dharas, the only religious or Arabic material she had on her phone was an electronic copy of the Quran which she had not been looking at the time. “What really upsets me is that the accusers were not brought out of the plane and questioned at the same time,” she said.
A spokesperson for easyJet said the three had been taken off the flight “following concerns raised by a passenger. The police then confirmed to the captain that the passengers were cleared to complete their journey and they reboarded the aircraft and the flight departed to Naples.”
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“The safety and security of its passengers and crew is our highest priority which means that if a security concern is raised we will always investigate it as a precautionary measure. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passengers,” he added.
Courtesy: The Telegraph
