LONDON, Dec. 21 (UPI) — YouTube star Adam Saleh says he was removed from a Delta flight after speaking Arabic on the plane.
The 23-year-old social media prankster shared a video of the incident Wednesday after he and his friend Slim Albaher were escorted off a Delta Air Lines flight from London to New York.
“We got kicked out of a @Delta airplane because I spoke Arabic to my mom on the phone and with my friend slim… WTFFFFFFFF please spread,” he captioned the clip.
Saleh said in subsequent tweets that Delta “brought the police to speak to” him and Albaher following their removal. The pair were reportedly “security checked AGAIN” before booking another flight to New York on a different airline.
“Were taking off right now and heading to our lawyer once in NYC,” he wrote. “Thank you all so much for your support!! I appreciate every single one of you!!! Will talk when I land! Love xx.”
Delta addressed the incident in a statement on its website, but did not mention Saleh and Albaher by name. The airline said it is presently “conducting a full review to understand what transpired.”
“Two customers were removed from this flight and later rebooked after a disturbance in the cabin resulted in more than 20 customers expressing their discomfort,” the statement reads. “We are taking allegations of discrimination very seriously; our culture requires treating others with respect.”
Some expressed skepticism over the incident due to Saleh’s penchant for prank videos. His spokesperson said in a statement to USA Today, however, that the events were not a joke.
“Adam made a phone call to his mother to let her know that he will be home in the next 7-8 hours after his flight and because Adam’s mum only speaks Arabic, he was speaking to her in his language,” the rep explained.
“Unfortunately this caused a problem amongst other passengers in the airline who got angry and started abusing him swearing and saying that they felt threatened,” the spokesperson said.
