October 14, 2001

WIRE: 10/14/2001 8:16 pm ET

Pilot refuses to take three Arab men on charter flight to Spain

The Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) A pilot refused to fly three men of Arab ancestry two of them Swedish citizens and forced them to leave his plane even after they were cleared by police, authorities said Sunday.

The men had bought tickets a day earlier for the Premiair flight Saturday from Stockholm to Las Palmas, Spain.

"Everything went well when we checked in. But after we sat down in the plane, the cabin crew told us that the captain wanted to talk," Ismail Fouda said by telephone.

Police checked their passports and also ran a computer check while the men waited in the plane.

"We judged that they were not a threat and told the captain," said Arlanda International Airport police officer Barry Gunnarsson. "But the captain is king."

Fouda, who was born in Egypt but is a Swedish citizen, said he was convinced their Arab ethnicity was the reason. He and the two others filed a police complaint against tour operator Ving.

The other men, who are friends and colleagues of Fouda, were born in Iraq. One is a Swedish citizen, and none of the three are involved with political groups, Fouda said.

A spokesman for Premiair, which is owned by Airtours Plc of Britain, said: "The men acted nervous and refused to sit down when asked by the cabin crew, so many passengers got unsettled."

The three men received their money and luggage back after several hours and said they would try again to fly to Spain on Tuesday after filing a complaint with discrimination officials in Stockholm.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001