UAE students demand apology from US officials

A group of UAE students in the US have demanded an apology from Charlotte Douglas Airport security officials and an airline after they were removed from a Washington-bound flight and questioned, it was reported yesterday. Some students in the group told the US media that many of them were removed from US Airways flight 1768 from Charlotte to Washington and questioned by police. Charlotte TV reported that a US Airways official said a "security issue" caused several passengers to be rescreened before the flight was allowed to leave. "We want an apology and an explanation as to why they took us off the plane and then left us there," Yaqoob Al Shamsi, one of the passengers removed from the flight, told ABC7 News. Article continues below "We were emotionally hurt. We want them to tell people that we didn't do anything." Group members claimed that authorities even asked if they had previous military training. Future leaders Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called on the Emirati students learning at various universities in the United States to exert more efforts when learning and dedicate themselves to seeking knowledge. In a videotaped message screened at the Students' Meet organised by the UAE Embassy in Washington, Abdullah said: "You are the young leaders in making. You present a bright picture of the UAE to the outer world".