In a shocking incident, two Muslim women were escorted off of a plane by police after a cabin crew member accused them of “staring” at her. The pair had flown from Boston to Los Angeles in the US without incident but were singled out after the JetBlue passenger plane landed, witnesses said.
Passengers said they had heard a member of cabin crew tell a coworker that she “did not appreciate” being stared at by the women, “The Sun” reported. “The flight attendant had casually relayed to a coworker that she did not appreciate being stared at – she did not seem rattled or scared – just smug,” said Sharon Kessler, who was on board the flight.
“Then – after we landed – she announced that the authorities would be boarding the plane and to remain in our seats with seat belts,” said Ms Kessler.
A video of the incident was posted on YouTube. “It was a terrible moment – honestly – these women sat quietly, watched movies – it felt like overkill from this flight attendant,” Ms Kessler wrote on her Facebook page.
In a statement, JetBlue said the flight attendant had been under the impression one of the women had been filming in-flight procedures. “If a crew member believes a customer may be filming safety procedures, the crew member may report it for further review. In this instance, our crew members acted in accordance with security procedures. We appreciate our customers’ patience and cooperation, and apologise for the inconvenience,” the airline said.
A similar incident happened in London’s Luton airport where a 40-year-old Nigerian-British man was removed from a plane by armed police because he read out a prayer from his mobile which ‘alarmed’ the fellow passengers.
(Feature image source: Reuters)