'On my way to blow up the plane': Joke turns into a Spanish court trial for this UK man

A seemingly unharmful "joke" turned into a nightmare for a British man who took a trip to Spain in July 2022.

According to a BBC report, Aditya Verma, who was 18 at the time, was flying with friends to the island of Menorca when on Snapchat he sent a message - "On my way to blow up the plane (I'm a member of the Taliban)."

He might have intended the message as a joke, but little did he know that his "little joke" would be intercepted by the UK security forces and create commotion.

The Spanish authorities immediately swung into action while the easyJet plane was still in the air, and two Spanish F-18 fighter jets to flank the aircraft were sent.

One of the jets trailed the plane until it landed in Menorca. After the touch-down, an extensive search followed.

Following this, Verma had to spend two days in police custody before being released on bail. In the UK, he was interrogated by British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 after his arrival.

During the trial on Monday, Verma told a Madrid court the message was a "joke in a private group setting".

"It was just sent to my friends I was travelling with on the day," he added

"The intention was never to cause public distress or cause public harm."

When asked what he thought about the fighter jet trailing his plane back then, Verma said, "The Russia-Ukraine war was happening so I thought it was a military exercise related to [that] conflict."

He also recalled an announcement made by the pilot informing the passengers the jet was being trailed because of a distress signal sent "by mistake".

In a lookout for some evidence, police also combed through Verma's phone but found nothing that linked him to "jihadist radicalism". They, however, found some traces of his research on Pakistan-India clashes and the possibilities of an Islamic State attack in that area, said the BBC report.

While Verma may be able to avoid terrorism charges or a jail term, the report said he could face a fine up to €22,500 (£19,300) if found guilty. The Spanish defence ministry has also sought €95,000 in expenses.

The verdict will be out in a few days.