Loo run raises terrorist alarm
Two Pakistani nationals found themselves at the center of suspicion late Sunday night after their flight from Cyprus to Britain was grounded because their fellow passengers thought they were terrorists. Cypriot police said yesterday an Excel Airways flight from Larnaca to Manchester was brought to a halt at 11.40 p.m. when passengers on board told staff the two Pakistani men looked like Muslim terrorists and that one of them had spent a suspiciously long time in the toilet. The pilot was informed, and he in turn told local authorities as he stopped the takeoff procedure. Police detained the two men but released them shortly after they found no evidence against them. «All I saw was a couple of Arab-looking gents with white skull caps. What became suspicious is when one went to the toilet for a long time. He was in the loo for about 10 minutes,» a British passenger told Reuters. The flight, with 230 passengers, took off yesterday afternoon while the two men traveled on a separate plane.
