Two women were arrested aboard an Icelandair plane at Keflavík International Airport this morning as they attempted to prevent the deportation of an asylum seeker who is onboard the aircraft. A journalist from mbl.is, who is among the passengers, stated that the women tried to persuade passengers to stand up to prevent departure. The plane is bound for Stockholm.
The captain refused to take off until police had guaranteed there were no other protesters among the passengers. Earlier this morning, there had been a protest related to the same issue outside the terminal building.
According to the mbl.is journalist, the women shouted to passengers and demanded that they take part in preventing the plane from taking off. Police handcuffed and arrested both of them.
Update: The women arrested believe the asylum seeker onboard the plane was unjustly deported. According to a press release from the group No Borders, he fled the terrorist organization Boko Haram in Nigeria and arrived in Iceland four years ago from Sweden. A video of the women protesting onboard the plane was posted online by the group Ekki fleiri brottvísanir (No More Deportations).
