Man held hostage in Kuwait in 1990 says BA staff’s homophobia made ordeal worse

Barry Manners on his 2011 return visit to Baghdad, where he had been held as a human shield. Photograph: Supplied

A man who was among British Airways passengers and crew taken hostage in Kuwait and used as human shields during Saddam Hussein’s invasion, who are suing the airline, said his ordeal was made worse by its staff’s homophobia.

On Friday, more than 100 claimants served legal papers on BA and the government, who they say both knew the invasion had taken place hours before flight BA149 landed in Kuwait in 1990.