VIDEO: Arab family kicked off Romanian flight over 'misunderstanding'

An Egyptian man and his family were violently thrown off a flight in Romania last week despite outcry of fellow passengers. 

The incident took place on Tuesday onboard a Romanian Airline flight that was transiting in Bucharest, Romania's capital, while en-route to Egypt from Paris, where the family resides. The now-viral footage of the altercation was reportedly posted online by Viorica Hagagg, a passenger who filmed the ordeal. 

In the clip, Romanian security guards can be seen pushing and shoving the Egyptian man in a bid to take him off the flight as chaos ensued in the cabin. 

Hagagg can be heard defying flight officers, who asked her not to film the incident. Passengers around her can also be heard objecting to the way the man was being treated. 

In online posts detailing the ordeal, passengers said the man and his family were treated "inhumanely." They also explained that his wife had a medical condition that was made worse by the way she was treated. 

After the online backlash, the country's Ministry of Migration contacted the Egyptian ambassador to Romania, Salah Abdel Maqsoud, asking for a clarification on the matter. 

In his statement, Abdel Maqsoud said the man's wife - a Moroccan national - quarreled with a member of the plane crew who asked her to hand over her handbag because it was on the ground in front of her emergency exit seat. When the argument escalated, the family was forced to leave the plane.

The official added that the man, his wife, and son had their tickets canceled and eventually took a Turkish Airline flight from Bucharest to Sharm Al Sheikh Airport. He also explained that an investigation has been launched into the incident and both Egyptian and Moroccan authorities are now following up on the case. 

The version of events relayed by the Egyptian ambassador has been disputed by the passenger at the center of the incident. 

Now identified as Hassan Salamah, the man spoke out about the ordeal in an interview with Egyptian TV host Amr Adib. Salamah explained that his wife and son were shaken by the violent incident and will be spending a few days in Sharm Al Sheikh to try and put it behind them. He also denied claims that his wife spat on flight attendants or had an altercation with a co-pilot. 

"Me and my wife didn't do anything wrong and proof of that is the fact that all the passengers around us told authorities that if we were forced off the flight, they'd leave with us," he said. 

Salamah confirmed to Adib that all passengers stepped out of the plane once the family was escorted out, which led to the flight's cancelation - though that remains to be confirmed. 

In his statement, the man explained that an argument ensued between his wife and a flight attendant who spoke to her in English, asking her to remove her handbag off the floor in front of her "emergency exit" seat.

The woman didn't understand the instructions because she doesn't speak the language. That's when the air hostess snapped and told her that "people who don't speak English and who aren't in good health/shape shouldn't sit next to emergency exits." 

"Everyone made fun of this statement because it doesn't make sense and that didn't go down well with the flight attendant. My wife eventually moved seats and everything was OK when we noticed a security guard approaching her and asking for her passport," Salamah added. 

When the man asked what was going on, he was told that his wife was being taken off the flight. Even though everyone on board objected, the couple and their 9-year-old son were violently taken off the plane. 

"My wife is diabetic and got ill during the ordeal, she was transferred to a hospital while I was locked up in a room in the airport for two hours before I was allowed to join her. Her body was all bruised up and the doctor who evaluated her gave me a report stating that," he explained. 

Salamah and his family were let go on Friday morning, but had their tickets canceled and were forced to buy new ones to fly back home. 

They are now looking into suing the Romanian Airline for everything they went through during the terrifying ordeal. Egyptian officials have also promised the family they will be closely following up on the case.