Gulf Air denies cops’ ‘storming’ its flight

Manama : Gulf Air, the national carrier, yesterday denied reports published by British media alleging that police stormed a Gulf Air flight at Heathrow Airport and arrested a wanted individual.           

Gulf Air confirmed the incident in a press statement issued yesterday but denied armed policemen swarmed into the airplane and made the arrest, as claimed by the British press.

“Following recent media reports surrounding a Gulf Air flight GF003 from Bahrain to London, Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, can confirm that upon landing into London Heathrow on Tuesday March 20 at 14:51 (local time) Metropolitan Police contacted Gulf Air requesting to question a passenger,” Gulf Air said in the statement.

The statement also mentioned, “In compliance with this request, Gulf Air crew located and escorted the passenger from the aircraft. Contrary to media reports that armed police stormed the flight, Gulf Air can confirm that no authorities boarded the aircraft and remaining passengers on board Gulf Air flight GF003 disembarked the aircraft following standard disembarking procedures in order to proceed to the terminal building.”

“Such security procedures and practices are entirely within the jurisdiction of the destination country’s official police system/authority, and such events are standard occurrences for all airlines and airports around the world. The safety, protection and comfort of Gulf Air passengers and employees are of utmost importance and Gulf Air crew handle such matters with a high level of professionalism,” the national carrier added.

British media reported yesterday that “police stormed the flight and arrested a Middle-Eastern man as soon as Gulf Air Flight GF003 landed.

They quoted spokespersons from the police there that “the arrest wasn’t terror-related” and “arrested was a 29-year-old wanted for a case related to abduction dated back in December last year”.

“He has been taken to a west London Police station where he remains at this time. This arrest is not terror related,” spokespersons told several British journals, including The Sun and Daily Mail.