image source, Marcus Toll/Reuters
One of two Spanish F18 fighter jets can be seen from the window of an EasyJet flight from London to Menorca.
A British man accused of disturbing public order after joking about blowing up a plane has gone on trial in Spain.
Aditya Verma made the comment on Snapchat in July 2022 while on his way to Menorca with friends.
A message sent to Mr Verma before he left Gatwick Airport read: “On my way to blow up the plane (I’m part of the Taliban).”
“It was never my intention to cause public distress or cause public harm,” Verma told a Madrid court on Monday.
If found guilty in connection with the scramble of two Spanish Air Force planes, the university student will face a large bill for expenses.
Mr Verma’s message was picked up by British security services and reported to Spanish authorities while the EasyJet plane was still in flight.
A court in Madrid heard the message was deemed to have sounded an alarm after it was received over Gatwick’s Wi-Fi network.
Shortly after, the court was told two Spanish F-18 fighter jets were dispatched to flank the aircraft.
One jet pursued the plane until it landed on the island of Menorca, where it was extensively searched.
Verma, who was 18 at the time, was arrested. He was held in police custody for two days, but he was later released on bail, the court said.
Upon his return to the UK, he was interrogated by British military intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 before returning to his home in Orpington, Kent.
Mr Verma, who is currently studying economics at the University of Bath, appeared in court on Monday and said the messages were a “joke in a private group setting”.
“I just sent it to a friend who was traveling with me that day,” he said.
Asked about the purpose of the message, Verma said: “Since my school days, it was a joke because of my personality… It was just to make people laugh.”
Aditya Verma (seated far right) was 18 years old when he sent a private Snapchat message joking about blowing up planes.
When asked what he thought when he saw fighter jets on the side of the plane, Verma said, “I thought this was a military exercise related to Russia and Ukraine because there was a war going on between Russia and Ukraine.” Told. [that] Conflict. “
The pilot of the plane said he announced to passengers that the fighter jet had scrambled due to an erroneous distress call.
Police experts told the court that a review of Mr Verma’s mobile phone showed he was researching the conflict between Pakistan and India and possible Islamic State attacks in the region. He said he couldn’t find anything interesting linking him to jihadists. Radicalism.
Mr Verma does not face terrorism charges or a potential prison term, but if found guilty he could be fined up to €22,500 (£19,300) and Spain’s Ministry of Defense will pay €95,000 in costs. is requesting.
The court told the BBC that a decision on Mr Verma’s case would be rendered within the next few days.