Men who sent PIA crew into panic, denied bail in UK

Both men have been remanded in custody till August 5.

Two British-Pakistanis who had allegedly threatened the Pakistan International Airlines flight crew, forcing the plane’s captain to divert the aircraft and request a fighter escort last week, were denied bail on Monday, the BBC reported.

Tayyab Subhani, 30, and Mohammed Safdar, 41, both residents of Nelson, Lancashire, had been detained at Stansted airport after the Manchester bound plane was diverted there on Friday. The pair had been charged with endangering the aircraft on Sunday.

The men appeared in a Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday where Magistrate Sarah-Jane Davies refused an application to grant the men bail and remanded them in custody until August 5.

The defendants, Subhani, a taxi driver, and Safdar, a restaurant worker, spoke only to confirm their names and addresses.

Their lawyer said that their clients intended to plead not guilty.