Mr Verma said the message was a “joke in a private group setting”.
In Spain, the trial of Aditya Verma, a British man accused of disturbing public order by joking about blowing up a plane, is underway. Verma made the comment on Snapchat during a trip to Menorca with his friends in July 2022. BBC report.
Before leaving Gatwick, Verma sent a message saying: “I’m 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, students could face significant costs as two Spanish Air Force jets will be deployed.
Once spotted by British security officials, while the EasyJet plane was still in flight, Mr Verma’s message immediately drew the attention of Spanish authorities.
The messages were presumed to have caused concern after being intercepted through Gatwick’s Wi-Fi network, according to legal proceedings in a Madrid court. Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets were then dispatched to flank the aircraft.
One of the planes followed the plane closely until it landed on the island of Menorca, where a massive search was conducted. Verma, who was 18 at the time, was arrested and held in police custody for two days before being released on bail.
Upon his return to the UK, he was interrogated by the British 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.
Explaining why she sent the message, Verma said, “Ever since I was a student, it was a joke because of my personality… It was just to make people laugh.”
When asked what he thought when he saw the 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 told the court that a review of Mr Verma’s mobile phone showed that he had been researching conflicts between Pakistan and India and possible attacks by Islamic State in the region, but that he had no connection to Mr Verma and jihadist extremists. He said he couldn’t find anything interesting that tied the principles together. reported the BBC.
Verma does not face terrorism charges or possible imprisonment, but if proven guilty he could be fined up to 22,500 euros (Rs 2,035,145). In addition, the Spanish Ministry of Defense is seeking reimbursement of 95,000 euros (Rs. 8,592,835) in expenses.