Updated on Jan 27, at 12.40 p.m.

A British-Indian student has been acquitted by a Spanish court after he was accused of public disorder for joking about blowing up a plane in which he was travelling along with his friends.

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport was quoted as per news reports stating that its Wi-Fi network “does not have that capability,” even as Snapchat, an encrypted app, refused to comment on the case.

The judge’s resolution said that the message, “for unknown reasons, was captured by the security mechanisms of England when the plane was flying over French airspace,” said reports, citing a news agency.

It was not immediately clear how UK authorities were alerted to the message, with the judge noting “they were not the subject of evidence in this trial”.

Updated on Jan 26, at 1 p.m.

British-Indian student Aditya Verma is facing trial in Spain after he was accused of public disorder for sending a message joking about blowing up a plane in which he was travelling along with his friends.

Verma, a student of economics at Bath University, was on his way to the island of Menorca with friends in July 2022 when he made the remarks on Snapchat, claiming that he is a member of the Taliban, said a British news channel.

“On my way to blow up the plane (I’m a member of the Taliban),” the message, sent before Verma departed Gatwick airport, read.

A court in Madrid heard on Jan 22 that the message was picked up by the UK security services on Gatwick’s Wi-Fi network, who then alerted Spanish authorities, following which two Spanish F-18 fighter jets were sent to flank the aircraft with Verma onboard.

Verma, who was 18 at the time, was arrested and kept in a police cell for two days and was later released on bail, the court was told.

Back in the UK, he was questioned by the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6, before he returned home to Orpington, Kent.

Appearing in court Verma said the message was “a joke in a private group setting” and that “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,” he was quoted as saying in the British news channel.

While Verma is not facing terrorism charges or a possible jail term, he could be fined up to 22,500 euros (19,300 pounds) if found guilty.

The Spanish defence ministry is demanding 95,000 euros after two Spanish air force jets were scrambled to follow Verma.

A verdict on Verma’s case is expected in the next few days, the court told the British news channel.

(Source: IANS)

-Edited for style 

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