Jason Murdock
An Iraqi man hauled off an EasyJet flight after being
accused of being an Islamic extremist has been released without charge.
The man in question was forced off the flight on 26 March just before
takeoff after a fellow passenger on the plane in the seat next to him
claimed to have seen text messages relating to the so-called Islamic
State (Isis) on his phone.
After the woman alerted the cabin crew to the possible
threat, all on-board passengers on the flight from Vienna to London were
forced to disembark while all bags were checked by officials. According
to AFP,
the plane was cleared for takeoff three hours later but without the man
or woman involved in the incident as they were still being questioned
by law enforcement at the time.
"There was nothing suspicious found and he has been allowed
to continue his journey," said Austrian interior ministry spokesman
Karl-Heinz Grundboeck the day after the incident. "The only thing
outstanding is a detailed analysis of his mobile phone."
High alert as tensions boil over
Europe remains on high alert following twin bombings
in Brussels on 22 March which resulted in the death of over 30 people
and hundreds of injuries. The Islamic State-affiliated attack occurred
at an airport and a metro station and involved a coordinated spate of
suicide bombings.
Now, Belgian law enforcement has launched a crackdown in order to
locate the culprits of the attack – and arrests are mounting. Most
recently, a prosecutors charged
a man called Fayçal Cheffou for having a suspected role in the
atrocity. Reports emerged that Cheffou was the man caught by airport
CCTV who fled the scene after his bomb failed to detonate.
Most recently, as tensions continue to rise in Brussels,
police have been forced to confront a group of roughly 400 "fascists and
football hooligans" who attempted to incite trouble
with a group of Christian and Muslim peace protesters on Easter Sunday.
The black-clad group claimed to represent 'Fascists against Terrorism'
however despite trying to disrupt an ongoing rally were quickly shut
down by a swelling of riot police.
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