Two Arabs charged after endangering aircraft with laser beam

Dubai: TTwo Arab men have been referred to court for endangering an aircraft after pointing a laser beam in the face of the captain while the plane was in air, Gulf News learnt on Thursday.

The Public Prosecution charged the two Arabs, believed to be a Jordanian and Syrian in their 20s, with endangering the aircraft by pointing the laser beam towards the cockpit from a desert area in close to Dubai International Airport.

Sources close to the case told Gulf News yesterday that the case has been referred to the Dubai Criminal Court and the suspects are in the process of hiring a lawyer to defend them. A third Arab national has been included in the case as prosecution witness.

According to the same source the incident happened when the captain reported the control tower in the airport about someone pointing the laser beam in face of the flying craft. The aviation authorities at the airport informed the police and located the point from where the laser beam came. A police patrol cordoned the area and arrested the suspects who happened to be spending time in the desert.

The first hearing will be held soon, meanwhile, a law enforcement officer has confirmed that this is not the first incident of its kind in which the aviation authorities complain about laser beams being pointed towards flying aircrafts.