Terror threat forces emergency landing of easyJet flight in Glasgow

An easyJet flight from Luton to Glasgow was thrown into chaos on Sunday after a passenger began shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and threatened to bomb the plane. The incident occurred as the aircraft was approaching its destination, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency shortly before landing.

Video footage shared by a passenger shows an agitated man, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, standing in the aisle mid-flight. He repeatedly shouted phrases such as ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Trump’ in Arabic and English, interspersed with invocations to Allah and bomb threats.

Several passengers can be seen turning towards him in alarm as a flight attendant and other passengers attempted to de-escalate the situation.

According to witnesses, the disturbance began when the man emerged from the toilet with his hands raised, shouting, ‘I’ve got a bomb! I’ve got a bomb!’ A 39-year-old passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sun that, at first, people were confused, and he thought it was ‘just a weird joke’. However, the man reportedly became increasingly aggressive towards the cabin crew.

The anonymous passenger further described how the man shoved flight attendants, prompting a physical response from fellow passengers.

‘When he pushed them, that’s when things changed. At that point, one guy managed to grab him from behind and pull him down, then everyone jumped on top of him.’

Video footage shows three passengers successfully pinning the man down while cabin crew is seen moving quickly to inspect the man’s belongings and search for suspicious items.

The pilot declared an emergency landing and initiated a rapid descent in Glasgow airport. Air traffic control directed the plane to a secure remote area of Glasgow Airport, where it landed at 8:20 p.m. Scottish police boarded the aircraft and arrested the man, who is believed to be 41 years old.

A Police Scotland spokesperson stated, ‘There is no indication that anyone else was involved. An inquiry has been opened.’ Authorities also confirmed that counterterrorism officers are reviewing the video footage shared online.

EasyJet confirmed in a statement to AFP that a passenger had been ‘removed from flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow due to their behaviour onboard’. A spokesperson added: ‘EasyJet’s crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and customers is not compromised.’

The timing of the incident sparked speculation, as US President Donald Trump was in Scotland on Sunday for talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding EU – US trade tariffs. However, there is no confirmed link between the two events.

Earlier this month, a man of Indian origin was arrested in Miami after attacking passengers and making disturbing statements aboard a flight. In a separate case in 2016, a man was sentenced to ten weeks in prison for shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ on a Birmingham-bound plane.

At the time of publication, few details have been released about the EasyJet suspect’s identity or motives.