Plane delayed for 90 minutes after passengers refused to fly to Manchester with two Muslim men

Two men believed to be Muslim were asked to get off a flight heading for Manchester and go back through security - after fellow travellers claimed they were "making gestures" on board a flight. 

Thomas Cook has apologised to the passengers who came under suspicion after two female passengers on the flight told cabin crew they had witnessed the men "skipping security scanners".

It meant the men had to get off the flight from Turkey, which had been about to take-off before the passengers spoke up.

They returned to the terminal to re-do security checks, and were eventually given the all clear to travel on service MT685 from Izmir to Manchester Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
But the incident meant the flight and all other passengers were delayed by nearly 90 minutes.

When the men were finally allowed to re-board, their accusers - who also alleged they were "making gestures" - refused to travel with them, instead choosing to return to the terminal.

As the drama unfolded just before take-off, fellow passengers reported feeling shocked.
One, who asked not to be named, described the scenes as "an embarrassment", Manchester Evening News reports.

She added: “Two innocent Muslim men were marched off plane and searched as two English ladies refused to fly with them on the plane.
“The result was a delay for everyone and the men flew, while the women were left behind.”

It’s understood the two men were in their seats and preparing for take-off when two women chose to complain to Thomas Cook cabin crew about them.
It's understood they complained about the men "making gestures to each other" and "going to the toilet to use their phones".

The women were also said to have alleged the men had "missed the security scanners", leading cabin crew to ask them if they could retrace their steps through the terminal.

The men, who were said to remain calm throughout despite the accusations, were then given the all-clear.
But the flight was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes as a result.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook Airlines, said: “Two customers on this flight were asked to go through security a second time as a precaution, after unverified concerns were raised that the initial airport security check had missed them out.
“We’d like to thank these two customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience.”