Indian-Origin Man on Trial for Jokingly Saying He’s With Taliban before Boarding Flight

British-Indian man Aditya Verma is facing a trial in Spain for allegedly causing public disorder by making a joke about blowing up a flight. Verma messaged his friends in a Snapchat group a joke about blowing a flight while he was about to begin his travel to the island of Menorca with friends in July 2022 which led to public disorder.

“On my way to blow up the plane (I’m a member of the Taliban),” was the message that Verma sent and it was detected by the Gatwick airport’s wi-fi.

“The intention was never to cause public distress or cause public harm. It was just sent to my friends I was travelling with on the day. Since school, it’s been a joke because of my features… It was just to make people laugh. It was just sent to my friends I was travelling with on the day,” Verma told a court in Madrid this week.

Once the UK security services detected the message, they brought it to the attention of Spanish authorities. Two Spanish Air Force’s F-18 jets were scrambled to flank an easyJet flight once they were alerted.

The pilot on the flight told passengers that their flight was being trailed because a distress signal was mistakenly sent, Verma told the court. Verma also saw the jets flanking the flight and when the court asked him what he thought of the jets, he said: “The Russia-Ukraine war was happening so I thought it was a military exercise related to [that] conflict”.

If Verma is found guilty he may face hefty fines because two jets were deployed.

Verma was arrested in Spain’s Menorca when his flight landed and spent two days in police custody before being released on bail. Once he returned to the UK, he was questioned by British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 before heading back to his home in Orpington, Kent.

Verma is now studying economics at Bath University.

Cops told the court that they searched Verma’s phone but did not find anything of interest that linked Mr Verma to jihadist radicalism. There were some web searches on clashes between Pakistan and India and the possibilities of an Islamic State attack but those were unrelated.

Verma is not facing terrorism charges or the prospect of imprisonment, but may have to pay fines worth €22,500 (Rs 20,35,145) if proven guilty. Additionally, the Spanish defence ministry is seeking reimbursement of €95,000 in expenses.