By SUNIL Sonkar

Mumbai, Feb. 07 — An Emirates Flight EK 505 was grounded in Mumbai flying to Dubai for fours hours after it was told to the airline by a man that a passenger on board was a terrorist.

However, the couple passenger were detained and the flight left at 1404 hours for Dubai with 356 passengers after the security clearance.

According to police, a man told the airline that Shahbaz Khan, on board passenger, was an “al-Qaeda terrorist”. The man was identifies as Suresh Chavan.

Police said, “Chavan called the cargo supervisor of the Emirates flight claiming that he overheard someone saying Shahbaz was a terrorist.”

At 0959 hours the aircraft, getting the information of air traffic control about a security hazard on board, was pushed back.

It “can confirm that its flight EK 505 (Mumbai-Dubai) was called back by Mumbai’s Air Traffic Control before departure. A male passenger and his wife have been handed over to the local Mumbai police authorities for questioning” said Emirates Airlines.

According to a senior police officer Shahbaz Khan and his wife were detained, but as his wife is a heart patient, so she has been sent back home and the husband is being questioned.

Emirates added that all the passengers were asked to leave the plane after the information and each ones baggage were checked again. The aircraft was checked too.