An easyJet flight from London to Glasgow was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger threatened to “bomb the plane”. Not just that, he also shouted “Death to America, death to Trump”, adding that he wants to send a message to the US President who was visiting his Turnberry golf course in Scotland. At the time, Trump was in his gold course, the New York Post reported. The man has now been ID’d. He is Abhay Nayak.
The incident took place at around 8 am on July 27, approximately an hour after the plane had taken off from London’s Luton Airport. A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media, and the Internet is furious.
‘I’m going to bomb the plane’
“I’m going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump!” the man yelled before he repeatedly chanted “Allahu Akbar”. At this point, the passengers can be seen looking at each other in distress, and some were even making his video. One brave passenger then got up from his seat, grabbed him from behind and pulled him down. That’s when the video shows everyone else joined him and pinned him to the ground.
Another angry passenger, who was on top of him, instructed him to “not move”.
A passenger, as per a report by The Sun, said that the man started shouting threats after coming out of the bathroom.
According to a report by the New York Post, the passengers kept him pinned to the ground as the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Glasgow Airport. There, the police were waiting for the suspect and arrested him.
The outlet also reported that the man appeared to act alone and that when he was taken down the aisle, he was asking about his missing phone and wallet. The officials also confirmed that there were no explosives on the plane.
Who is Abhay Nayak?
Abhay Nayak is a 41-year-old Indian man who is facing serious legal charges, including assault and endangering an aircraft’s safety. He entered no plea, meaning that he neither admitted being guilty nor declared that he was innocent when he was produced before the court. He will not face terrorism charges after counter-terrorism police assessed the video footage.
easyJet responds
“Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard,” the company said in a statement.
“The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority,” the company added.
‘Good job, green shirt’: Internet hails hero passenger
“How was he allowed to board this easyJet plane, I wonder! Who assisted him on the ground at Luton!?” asked one social media user.
Another joined, “One guy…one got up to stop him. The rest pull out their phones. Perhaps because it’s a surreal experience, but this just looks strange. He went down way too willingly.”
“One person stood up? Why didn’t the other men jack him up permanently?” asked yet another social media user.
Another said, “Can’t believe only one man jumped up, I’m out of my seat immediately if no one else is moving to tackle him~ not sure what I could do as I’m not exactly strong, but I’d give it my best shot. Well done to that man!”
One social media user hailed the hero passenger, saying, “Good job, green shirt.”
“Hope they gave a few free flights to the guy that tackled him. The world needs a lot more men like him,” read another comment below the video.