Two Asian students who were taken off a UK-bound plane over fears they were terrorists have said they were stunned that anybody could think they were suicide bombers.
Sohail Ashraf and Khurram Zeb told the Daily Mirror that they were just a couple of ordinary lads who wanted a bit of fun on a day trip to Malaga.
"I can understand why people are so panicked. But just because we are Muslim does not mean we ar
e terrorists," said Mr Ashraf.
The pair flew back to Manchester from Malaga on a different flight.
Mr Ashraf told the paper they had gone to southern Spain on a day-trip, but ended up being marched off the plane at gunpoint.
"These are nervous times and I can understand why people are so panicked," he said. "All I would say is 'don't be paranoid, don't judge every book by its cover'.
"We might be Asian but we're just two ordinary lads who wanted a bit of fun."
He described the experience as "unnerving" and said after being questioned by police they had been "a bit hysterical".
Mr Zeb said they "didn't twig" what was happening until he saw a young girl on the plane crying.
"I looked around and there was a girl of about 12 looking at me, pointing and crying.
"Her parents were putting their arms around her protectively and staring at us.
"One minute we were sitting quietly, looking forward to getting home, the next we were being bundled off."
Mr Zeb said he believed the scare was sparked by an elderly woman who had been sitting next to them on the plane.
She had asked them some questions, and then got up and walked to the cockpit, he said.
His father, Zeb Khan, told the BBC his son was very upset by the incident.
Mr Khan said it was "very unfair" and he felt his son had been singled out.
The friends deny claims they were wearing heavy leather jackets which aroused suspicion. They insist they merely had on light windcheaters, T-shirts and jeans. But they were able to laugh off their nightmare in their hotel room.
Sohail said: "We sat on our beds and Khurram said, 'You don't look like a terrorist'. I said, 'Neither do you'. Then we both collapsed with laughter.
"I suppose we were a bit hysterical. It all felt very odd.
"We've never experienced racism before so it was very unnerving."
Khurram went on: "I wasn't that bothered about what happened, but when my father heard he hit the roof.
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