Kuwait hostages threaten Government and British Airways with legal action

Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent
·3-min read

British Airways passengers and crew taken hostage in Kuwait are threatening to take legal action against the UK Government and the airline, after being “treated as disposable collateral”, according to a law firm.

They were on board British Airways Flight 149 which landed at Kuwait International Airport in the early hours of August 2 1990, as Iraqi armed forces were invading.

More than 300 people on board were detained by Iraqi troops, marking the start of an ordeal lasting almost five months, which included rape, starvation, torture, mock executions and being used by the former president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, as human shields against western attacks.

Law firm McCue Jury and Partners said it is representing 95 claimants in relation to the case, who are seeking “compensation for their injuries, pain and suffering”.

They all “suffered severe physical and psychiatric harm during their ordeal”, according to the firm, which has written to the Government and British Airways saying it may bring legal action

The Government has previously said responsibility for what happened “lies entirely” with the Iraqi authorities at the time, while British Airways has said it was “not warned about the invasion”.

Documents released in November 2021 showed the Foreign Office was told by the British ambassador in Kuwait that Iraqi forces had crossed the border an hour before the flight landed.

The information was never passed to British Airways, which was unable to take action to divert the flight, according to the Foreign Office files released to the National Archives.

There have been claims that a group of about 10 men who were the first to disembark when the plane landed were special forces troops, but this has always been denied by the Government.

McCue Jury and Partners said the Government and British Airways “knew the invasion had taken place while the plane was still in the air” but “did nothing to divert it safely”.

It added that “evidence demonstrates” the flight was used to “secretly transport a special ops team for immediate and covert deployment to the battlefield”.

One of the passengers in the claim is Barry Manners, who was a 24-year-old businessman at the time of the flight.

He said: “We were not treated as citizens but as expendable pawns for commercial and political gain.

“A victory over years of cover-up and bare-faced denial will help restore trust in our political and judicial process.”

Matthew Jury, managing partner of McCue Jury and Partners, said: “The lives and safety of innocent civilians were put at risk by the British government and British Airways for the sake of an off-the-books military operation.

“Both have, we believe, concealed and denied the truth for more than 30 years.

“The victims and survivors of Flight BA149 deserve justice for being treated as disposable collateral.

“HMG and BA watched on as children were paraded as human shields by a ruthless dictator, yet they did and admitted nothing.

“There must be closure and accountability to erase this shameful stain on the UK’s conscience.”

The Government and British Airways were approached for a comment.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • UEFA investigating Jude Bellingham over possible indecent gesture at Euro 2024 game

    England star Jude Bellingham is being investigated by UEFA over a potentially offensive gesture made during the European Championship win against Slovakia. UEFA said Monday it appointed a disciplinary inspector to look at “a potential violation of the basic rules of decent conduct.” Bellingham seemed to make a gesture with his hand toward his crotch after scoring an acrobatic stoppage-time equalizer on Sunday as England went on to win 2-1 in extra time.

  • Biden says court ruling on Trump undermines rule of law

    The US president condemns a Supreme Court decision that gives his predecessor partial immunity from prosecution.

  • India human rights body says Reuters story on Foxconn hiring raises discrimination concerns

    India's human rights watchdog said on Monday it had asked government officials to examine reported discrimination by Foxconn, after a Reuters investigation found the major Apple supplier has been rejecting married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country. In a statement, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it had issued notices to the secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's labour ministry and the chief secretary of the state government of Tamil Nadu, site of a major iPhone factory, calling for a detailed report within a week.

  • 'Richard Nixon Would Have Had A Pass': John Dean Stunned By Trump Immunity Ruling

    “Virtually all of his Watergate conduct” could easily fall into what the Supreme Court now says is official conduct, said Nixon’s former counsel.

  • Why Halifax is eyeing goose poop at its 19 supervised beaches

    When lifeguards arrive for work at the Halifax Regional Municipality's 19 supervised beaches, there's a common sight they encounter."There can be quite a lot of bird waste on the beach," said Elizabeth Montgomery, a water resources specialist with the city's environment and climate change team.This waste can enter the water, contaminating it with E. coli bacteria, and contribute to closures.Montgomery said there are multiple reasons why E. coli can get in the water, but the city is trying differ

  • Alcaraz, Sinner win Wimbledon openers as Sabalenka pulls out

    Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner reached the Wimbledon second round on Monday as Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka withdrew with an injury."Heartbroken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play the Championships this year," wrote 26-year-old Sabalenka on X. China's world number eight Zheng Qinwen, the Australian Open runner-up, was the biggest casualty of the day, losing in the first round for a second successive year.

  • US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first 'large' flight in 5 years

    The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it sent 116 Chinese migrants from the United States back home in the first “large charter flight” in five years. The flight, which happened over the weekend, comes as Chinese immigration has become the subject of intense political debate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. "We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

  • Someone is standing up to Beijing’s ‘Nine Dash Line’ South China Sea land-grab

    Scarborough Shoal is a ring of rocks and reefs 29 miles around that lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea west of Luzon, the Philippines’ biggest island. Unfortunately for the Philippines, the Shoal also lies within the so-called “Nine Dash Line” under which China attempts to claim that it owns more or less the entire South China Sea – in defiance of international law and international court judgement.

  • Russia missed probably its best opportunity to steamroll Ukraine, war analyst argues

    War expert Mick Ryan says Russia failed to act decisively in the Ukraine war, missing a chance to strike a decisive blow.

  • A growing club led by Xi and Putin to counter the US is adding a staunchly pro-Russia member

    A club of Eurasian countries spearheaded by China and Russia to advance their leaders’ vision of an alternative world order is set to expand again this week – this time adding a staunch Russian ally that has openly supported Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

  • Carrier strike group commander who oversaw 'unprecedented' Red Sea battle says the US Navy needs to make sure it's ready for a drone fight

    Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, who oversaw months of combat between the US Navy and the Houthis, shared what he learned from the Red Sea battle.

  • Biden says he 'nearly fell asleep' during debate after world travel

    U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday acknowledged his performance during last Thursday's presidential debate wasn't his best, but blamed it on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier in June. Biden has faced mounting questions about his 2024 reelection bid after last week's shaky debate performance, with one House of Representatives fellow Democrat on Tuesday publicly calling on him to withdraw from the race. Speaking at a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday evening, Biden admitted the debate against former President Donald Trump, his Republican rival, did not go well.

  • Are UFOs Real? What the Pentagon Has Learned

    "The most common misconception is that [UFOs] are all the same thing and they're all extraterrestrial, and neither of those are true," said one government expert

  • 'Can't go back': Myanmar conscription exiles struggle in Thailand

    When Myanmar's junta announced a conscription law to help crush a popular pro-democracy uprising, Khaing knew there was only one way to escape its clutches, and began planning her escape.- Smuggled for $220 - Shortly after enacting the law, the junta tightened requirements for people crossing Myanmar's land borders, and temporarily halted issuing foreign work permits for young men.

  • Estonia says it could hold out against a Russian attack 'for a couple of weeks' before NATO arrives

    Estonia has ramped up its defense spending and believes it could hold out for a couple of weeks before reinforcements came, if Russia attacked.

  • 7 Democrats being floated as potential Biden replacements

    President Biden’s campaign is intensely trying to quell speculation that he may drop out of the 2024 race following his lackluster debate performance last week. Most top Democrats have voiced support for Biden continuing in the race, while members of his family, including first lady Jill Biden, have declared they also want him to remain…

  • US government employees who resigned over Gaza policy release joint statement for first time

    The US government employees who have publicly resigned in protest of the Biden administration’s Gaza policies released a joint statement on Tuesday for the first time, stating they “stand united in a shared belief that it is our collective responsibility to speak up” and outlining steps they believe the US government should take.

  • Emmanuel Macron is about to become unbearable

    His party faces near-annihilation in the National Assembly, with fewer seats than Rishi Sunak’s Tories can hope for later this week. His prime ministers, past and present, could not find hard enough words in private to describe his “suicidal” snap election decision since he took it three weeks ago. Marine Le Pen was quick to claim an historic victory as her National Rally came first in yesterday’s first round of the legislative elections, with 33 per cent of the vote.

  • Ukraine foils ‘Russian-backed coup’

    Ukraine’s SBU security forces claimed they had foiled a Russia-backed coup on Monday which had planned to overthrow Volodymyr Zelensky and install a pro-Kremlin government.

  • Trump asks judge to throw out hush money convictions hours after immunity ruling

    Donald Trump has asked the judge in his hush money case to throw out his convictions after a Supreme Court ruling that granted him broad immunity from prosecution for official actions he took as president.