Passengers and crew on a British Airways flight who have been taken hostage in Kuwait in 1990 have launched authorized motion in opposition to the UK authorities and the airline, a legislation agency mentioned on Monday.
Folks on BA Flight 149 have been faraway from the Kuala Lumpur-bound airplane when it landed within the Gulf state on August 2 that yr, hours after Iraq’s then chief Saddam Hussein invaded the nation.
A few of the 367 passengers and crew spent greater than 4 months in captivity, together with as human shields in opposition to Western assaults on the Iraqi dictator’s troops through the first Gulf Warfare.
Ninety-four of them have filed a civil declare at London’s Excessive Courtroom, accusing the British authorities and BA of “intentionally endangering” civilians, McCue Jury & Companions mentioned.
“The entire plaintiffs suffered severe bodily and psychiatric hurt throughout their ordeal, the results of that are nonetheless being felt at the moment,” the legislation agency added.
The lawsuit claims that the UK authorities and the airline “knew that the invasion had begun” however allowed the flight to land anyway.
They did so as a result of the flight was used to “insert a covert particular operations group into occupied Kuwait,” the corporate added.
“We weren’t handled as residents, however as expendable pawns for industrial and political acquire,” mentioned Barry Manners, who was on the flight and is concerned within the declare.
“A victory over years of cover-up and blatant denial will assist restore confidence in our political and judicial course of,” he added.
British authorities information launched in November 2021 revealed that the UK ambassador to Kuwait knowledgeable London about experiences of an Iraqi raid earlier than the flight landed, however the message was not handed on to BA.
There have additionally been claims, denied by the federal government, that London knowingly put passengers in danger through the use of the flight to deploy undercover brokers and delaying takeoff to permit them to board.
The UK authorities declined to touch upon ongoing authorized issues.
British Airways has at all times denied allegations of negligence, conspiracy and concealment.
The airline didn’t reply to an AFP request for remark, however mentioned final yr that data launched in 2021 “affirm that British Airways was not warned concerning the invasion.”
McCue Jury & Companions had introduced its intention to file the go well with in September, saying on the time that the hostages “might declare an estimated common of £170,000 ($213,000) every in damages.”
In 2003, a French court docket ordered BA to pay €1.67m to the French hostages on the flight, saying the corporate had “severely breached its obligations” in the direction of them by grounding the airplane.