An off-duty pilot who threatened to blow up an Emirates flight in June has been sentenced to one year in jail by the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Emirati, who was under the influence of alcohol, assaulted a stewardess while he was travelling as a passenger on a flight from Madrid to Dubai, according to public prosecution records.
He was found guilty of compromising the safety of a flight and its passengers, assaulting and verbally abusing the crew and other travellers, making criminal threats and causing over AED10,000 worth of damages to public property, which included a seat and window cover, local media reported
The incident was reported to police at the Dubai International Airport, where the defendant was taken into custody at the arrival gate.
On board the flight, the defendant pushed a flight attendant to the ground as she tried to prevent him from tossing his shoe onto another passenger. After being handcuffed to his seat by the attendant and another passenger, he claimed he had a bomb and would use it to blow up the plane.
He also threatened to chase and kill the attendant, also banging his head against the movie monitor screen and claiming he would tell police that the crew assaulted him, witnesses said.
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