Taliban
British-Indian student Aditya Verma facing trial in Spain over his in-flight 'Taliban' joke
A British-Indian student is facing trial in Spain after he was accused of causing public disorder by sending a Snapchat message where he joked about blowing up a plane in which he was flying.
The student was identified as Aditya Verma.
According to reports, he commented on Snapchat when he was on his way to the island of Menorca with friends in July 2022.
The message, sent before Mr Verma departed Gatwick airport, read as quoted by BBC: "On my way to blow up the plane (I'm a member of the Taliban)."
During the hearing, he told the Madrid court that he never intended to cause public distress or public harm.
If found guilty, the university student faces a hefty bill for expenses after two Spanish Air Force jets were scrambled, BBC reported.
The UK security services reportedly flagged the information to Spanish authorities after the message was picked up by them.
A court in Madrid heard it was assumed the message triggered alarm bells after being picked up via Gatwick's Wi-Fi network, the British media reported.
The court was informed that two Spanish F-18 fighter jets were sent to flank the aircraft after the message was received.
One of the jets followed the flight till it landed in Menorca. The plane was searched extensively there.
Verma, who was 18 at the time of the incident, was arrested.
After being kept in the police cell for two days, he was later released on bail.
British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 questioned him after he arrived in the UK.
He later returned to his home in Kent.
Appearing in court on Monday (January 22, 2024), Verma - who is now studying economics at Bath University - said the message was 'a joke in a private group setting', reported BBC.
"It was just sent to my friends I was travelling with on the day," the Indian-origin student was quoted as saying by BBC.
"Since school, it's been a joke because of my features... It was just to make people laugh," he said.
Police experts told the court that they combed Verma's phone and, although they found that he had researched clashes between Pakistan and India and the possibilities of an Islamic State attack in that area, they did not find anything of interest that linked Verma to jihadist radicalism, reported BBC.
He is not facing jail terms or terrorism charges.
However, he could be fined up to €22,500 (£19,300) if found guilty and the Spanish defence ministry is demanding €95,000 in expenses, reported BBC.
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