Two Men Ejected From Airplane Speak Out

The two men ejected from a British charter jet have spoken publicly. They say they do not blame the passengers but are worried that people will suspect all Muslims.

Manchester Umist students Sohail Ashraf and Khurram Zeb, both 22, said they sympathised with nervous travellers, but urged people not to be paranoid about Muslims.

"We might be Asian, but we're two ordinary lads who wanted a bit of fun," Mr Ashraf told the Daily Mirror.

"Just because we're Muslim does not mean we are suicide bombers."

The pair were marched off the jet at gunpoint after fellow passengers alerted officials on the flight back from Malaga, Spain.

Holidaymakers on board flight ZB 613 from Malaga to Manchester became alarmed at the men's behaviour, and demanded that air staff remove them from the plane in the incident last week.

That is the first and only time I have read anything about them being marched of 'at gunpoint' – I'm curious to know if that is true. Regardless, it appears that passengers keyed off their dress and behavior. I sympathize with them in one way, but not completely. If they were wearing inappropriately heavy clothing, they are legitimate targets for closer inspection. As I mentioned before, that is something that police officers are taught to look for specifically as warranting further scrutiny.