A former British soldier who was imprisoned in Abu Dhabi facing a £100,000 fine after he refused to board a flight over fears there was a bomb on board has finally returned home. Steve Long, 39, from Stockport, was on a three-week holiday in UAE when he told passengers on the returning Etihad flight that there could be a bomb on the plane.
The 39-year-old father-of-four, from Offerton, served tours of Iraq and Bosnia and worked closely with bomb disposal unit. He flew out to the United Arab Emirates to visit a friend for three weeks back in January. His visit coincided with an apparent terrorist drone strike on the capital Abu Dhabi, in which three people died and six were injured.
The dad of four was locked up by UAE authorities after charges were brought forward by Etihad Airways for causing delays to the flight and scaring passengers, the Mirror reported. His family claimed he was ordered to pay £104,000 or serve 13 years in jail, prompting them to launch a GoFundMe page to pay the fine and get him home.
