According to MailOnline, the British youngster detained in connection with the bomb hoax on an EasyJet flight is a chess genius who has been given a seat at Cambridge University.
Aditya Verma, 18, allegedly boasted on Snapchat that he would blow up the plane carrying tourists to Menorca, writing, “I’m going to blow this jet up, I’m a Taliban.”
After the alert was raised on Sunday, two F18 fighter planes were dispatched from a military facility in the city of Zaragoza in northern Spain to accompany the EasyJet flight.
Today, we can disclose that Verma, who was traveling on an easyJet flight with companions, is the son of a physician who grew up in the affluent Kent neighborhood of Orpington and went to St. Olave’s Grammar School, a top-rated grammar school.
He competed for England at the world youth chess championships ten years ago, came in fourth, and received a trophy from famed Russian master Gary Kasparov. He is believed to have won four British championships after that.
He previously served in a comparable capacity at HSBC and just completed a coveted month-long internship at investment bank JPMorgan.
Indian-born Verma recently said in an online interview that his skill at chess has helped him advance in life: “I have met plenty of friends and get to play opponents from all over the world.”
However, a state prosecutor requested that he be held accountable for the £86,000 cost of scrambling the two jets when he appeared in court in Spain last night.
Verma, who was referred to in court as an “excellent student,” must also pay a four-figure fine and pay for the Spanish police and MoD response operation.
If found guilty, his desire to attend Cambridge could be affected. Although there are no set standards, it is required to notify the university about any convictions that have not been expended, and terrorist offences are highlighted on a list of the most serious offences.
It is believed that the Verma family is quite close. His mother, Dipti Prasad, who works for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, immediately flew to Menorca to support him on hearing of his imprisonment.
Verma, it is believed, had been planning a trip to the Spanish island with five of her school classmates to celebrate completing sixth grade and commencing life at university.
The group had made reservations at the comparatively peaceful town of Cala’n Blanes on the west coast of Menorca rather than a place known for partying, which is frequently more well-liked with teens.
Before being taken to court, Verma had spent the previous two nights in a police cell.
According to reports, the young person insisted during the court hearing held behind closed doors that he thought his macabre bomb “joke” was private and only meant to be seen by the friends who were travelling with him on easyJet flight EZY8303.
According to reports, Verma’s attorney informed the judge that he had described the Snapchat joke as being in reference to the fact that his client frequently received the nickname “Taliban” from friends due to his dark skin and Asian ancestry.
Outside of court, the teenager’s mother added, “It was a joke,” to respected island daily newspaper Menorca.
Judge Belen Velazquez made the decision to set bail at £8,600, or one-tenth of the amount that may be charged, after hearing the prosecutor’s argument. The British adolescent was also prohibited from leaving Spain, and she made him appear in court every two weeks to sign papers.
Although his current whereabouts are unknown, he is thought to be with his mother, who was able to welcome him before he was led into court in handcuffs yesterday.
Because it involves a matter of national security, the female judge who granted him bail has now sent the case over to the Audiencia Nacional, Spain’s National High Court, which has its headquarters in Madrid.
If the court determines that the alleged crime was committed in Britain in accordance with international air law, it must decide whether to launch its own investigation or transfer the case to the UK. This court also decides on the extradition of British fugitives detained in Spain.
Verma is being defended by a female attorney from in Mahon, the capital of Menorca. She has not yet made any official comment.
On the first and fifteenth of every month, he must sign in at Mahon’s Court of Instruction Number 2. He was given five days to turn over his bail money and was required to forfeit his passport as a condition of his release on bail.
After the jet touched down, authorities dispatched bomb-disposal specialists and sniffer dogs as part of their response. The plane was then transported to a location away from the terminal so it could be examined before being deemed safe.
Unconfirmed rumors suggest that Scotland Yard and French police alerted Spanish police after discovering the bomb alert on the Snapchat instant messaging service.
The Spanish Civil Guard is yet to respond to the assertion.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard announced on Monday that an 18-year-old British national had been detained as the alleged perpetrator of a public order offense in Mahon, Menorca, before turning him over to a judge after forcing him to forgo two nights in a hotel room.
The Menorca Airport control tower received a bomb threat on a flight from London to the island’s capital Mahon on Sunday while it was still in the air and getting close to the airport.
According to reports, the threat was posted on a social networking website.
The jet was transferred to a location distant from the main terminal and other vehicles after it had landed.
A safe perimeter was established around the jet by other officers, sniffer dogs, bomb disposal specialists, and members of the Civil Guard as part of a special operation that was organized by them.
The passengers were taken off the plane, and established protocol was followed until authorities could prove it was a false bomb threat and the perpetrator was found on social media with five other passengers serving as witnesses.
They were brought to a police station so that authorities could explain the circumstances.
According to reports, passengers were delayed on the tarmac for four hours while the jet was inspected.
According to reports, the easyJet aircraft landed on Sunday at 4:45 p.m. local time about a half-hour late.
According to reports, the incident caused a Ryanair jet to depart for London two and a half hours late.
The court session on Tuesday was held in private, as is customary in Spain, where only trials are open to the public.
The adolescent at the center of the unprecedented bomb alert drama is not now facing any criminal charges.
Formal charges are typically brought in Spain just prior to trial when state prosecutors are asked by an investigating court to draft an indictment outlining the punishment they are seeking and the offenses they contend the defendant has committed.