Pair taken off plane because of "suspicious" behaviour

August 20, 2006

Two men who were reportedly seen acting suspiciously on a flight bound for Manchester had to be taken off the plane, it has emerged today.

According to Monarch Airlines, a number of passengers informed staff of their worries surrounding the pair’s behaviour in Malaga on Wednesday. As the passengers' requested, the two men were then removed from the Airbus A320, which was carrying 150 people.

They were then questioned by police for several hours and allowed to fly back to the United Kingdom at the end of the week.

A Monarch Airlines spokesman said: "There were two passengers on the flight who came to the attention of the other people because they were apparently acting suspiciously. The flight attendants were sufficiently concerned to alert the crew who in turn informed the security authorities at Malaga airport."

According to reports, the men were of Asian appearance, and their alleged suspicious actions have not yet been revealed.

Patrick Mercer, a homeland security spokesman for the Conservative Party, told the Mail on Sunday today: "For those unfortunate two men to be victimised because of the colour of their skin is just nonsense."