Etihad bomb hoaxer receives three-year jail sentence
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A man responsible for a bomb hoax onboard an Etihad Airways flight travelling from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow has been jailed for three years.British fighter jets escorted the Etihad Airways flight after Australian resident James Glen told crew that fellow passenger Ghazanfar Ali was armed with a bomb, carrying a gun and demanded cash.The aircraft landed safely at Stansted Airport in Essex.”Your lies triggered a series of events culminating in the scrambling or diversion of two RAF fighter planes who escorted the plane to its unscheduled destination of Stansted where passengers and Mr Ali were grossly inconvenienced,” Judge Charles Gratwicke said in sentencing Glen, who had previously pleaded guilty to communicating information about a bomb hoax.The Scottish-born Glen, who had lived in Australia for 20 years, was returning to Britain to start a ”new life”, defence counsel Duncan Penny said. ”Frankly he is appalled with himself and can’t understand how it came to pass.”Glen had previously told the court he was afraid of flying and had taken medication before boarding and drank whisky and beer after takeoff.Prosecutor Mark Lakin said Ali was detained by police for ”some time” after the aircraft landed at Stansted, adding that the unscheduled diversion cost Etihad
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