A court recently cleared a khaleeji man of being under the influence of alcohol and causing chaos on a plane in Abu Dhabi after it was discovered he had actually suffered a heart attack, Al Bayan newspaper reported.
The GCC national had asked to leave the plane three hours after its AC broke down before take off, but its crew refused to let him out and insisted he waited until the issue was resolved.
As temperatures rose in the cabin, the man started to get heart palpitations and felt ill.
He later fell unconscious and only woke up when two guards came to carry him off the aircraft.
Crew thought the man was drunk and being uncooperative
Because the man was unable to communicate to the crew what he was feeling, they thought he was drunk and refusing to cooperate with them.
He was escorted out of the plane and detained by airport police officers who noticed his condition was worsening.
He was later taken to a hospital where it was discovered he was suffering a heart problem that needed urgent care.
The man's case was still taken to court but a judge cleared him of all charges after defense lawyer, Ali Hamadi, presented medical evidence and blood test results confirming that his client was not under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
In his statement to court, Hamadi also accused the airplane's crew of mishandling the situation, stating they risked the man's life by detaining him while he was suffering a heart attack.