A British man was removed from an easyJet flight by armed police at Luton Airport (LTN) after a fellow passenger saw a message mentioning ‘prayer’ on his mobile phone, and reported him as a security threat.
Laolu Opebiyi, a business analyst from London, told the Guardian that the passenger next to him had questioned him about a WhatsApp message that included the word ‘prayer’, asking: “What do you mean by prayer?”
Mr Opebiyi explained that he was planning to pray with friends, but said that two minutes later the other passenger was talking to the cabin crew.
About 15 minutes after the fellow passenger went into the cockpit to speak with the crew, two armed officers allegedly boarded the plane and asked Mr Opebiyi to remove his belongings and accompany them into the terminal building.
Next scheduled departure
A detective subsequently questioned and cleared Opebiyi but the pilot refused to allow him back on to the easyJet flight to Amsterdam last Thursday and he was forced to wait more than three hours for the next scheduled departure.
The 40-year-old Christian, born in Nigeria, believes that the passenger next to him thought that he was a Muslim.
The group he had been messaging via WhatsApp was called ‘ISI men’, which he says is an acronym for ‘iron sharpens iron’, a quote taken from the Bible.
It is thought the other passenger saw this but misread the name as “ISIS” (Islamic State) and presumed Opebiyi was a terrorist.
“Even if I was a Muslim, it was pretty unfair the way I was treated,” Mr Opebiyi told the Guardian.
“I don’t think anyone, irrespective of their religion, should be treated in such a way.”
Security concern
EasyJet said in a statement:
“If a security concern is raised we will always investigate it as a precautionary measure. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passenger.”
Opebiyi was questioned by police and allowed to board a later flight. However, he now fears he has been put on a terror watchlist.
“Someone felt I was a terrorist because they saw the word ‘prayer’ on my phone and now I stand in uncertainty about my freedom of movement in and out of the United Kingdom,” he said.
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