Couple claim racial motive over Cardiff Airport police check
29.12.06
A muslim couple are threatening to take action against the police after they were held by Special Branch detectives at Cardiff Airport - missing their flight as their luggage and identities were checked. Aisha Pritchard and her Palestinian husband Sadi Eihaloul claim their detention was racist and are now considering bringing a legal action against South Wales Police.
The couple, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, were due to fly to Dubai via Amsterdam for a four-day break on December 14 but they never made the trip after being stopped by security at the boarding gate.
Ms Pritchard, 40, said: 'We understand that there have to be security measures at all airports. It is the way we were treated we cannot accept. We feel we were deliberately stopped from boarding the plane, that it was racist and because we are Muslims.
By the time they had been given the all-clear by the detectives, the couple's flight had already left. And because their tickets were non-transferable, they were faced with having to pay out £1,500 if they wanted the next flight. Instead, they caught a taxi home.
A spokesman for South Wales Police confirmed the couple had been detained under the powers of the Terrorism Act. He said: 'South Wales Police takes its responsibilities very seriously in terms of respecting diversity in all individuals.'
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