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Two men stepped off a flight from Birmingham Airport amid baseless claims from fellow passengers who reportedly thought they looked like terrorists.

Airline Monarch confirmed two passengers had their journeys delayed for 24 hours after police were called to a plane heading for Rome on Sunday afternoon.

Two others, reportedly a British couple who were believed to have raised the alarm, also did not travel after "voluntarily offloading themselves" from the flight.

Sunday’s service, due to depart at 5.30pm, was delayed for 90 minutes following an extra security check.

Website The Local quoted stand-up comedian Marsha De Salvatore, an American living in Rome, who witnessed what she called the “sad reality of racism”.

Watch: Plane makes dramatic landing at Birmingham from Bucharest

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She said: “It was crazy.

“Not only was the plane delayed but I witnessed the sad reality of racism as these men were escorted off a boarded plane because others suspected them to be terrorists.

“The pilot told us: ‘What happened today was an act of total racism’.”

De Salvatore told The Local that a British couple, who were standing in front of her in the queue to board the flight, became agitated.

She said: “The husband was anxious and kept saying to his wife: ‘I’m not getting on the plane’.

“I thought perhaps he had a fear of flying.

“But just as they were about to hand over their boarding pass, they stepped out of the queue.”

De Salvatore said police were called.

She said the pilot – who believed the claims were “totally wrong” – told passengers the two men and their luggage were taken off the plane because two other passengers, who refused to board, “thought they looked suspicious”.

The captain told passengers that the two men would be travelling to Rome the next morning as it was too late for them to make Sunday’s flight.

“The pilot was so lovely,” De Salvatore said.

“While I’m happy that safety measures are in place, these people need to be careful about who they wrongly accuse.”

Monarch said in a statement: “Monarch can confirm that two passengers voluntary offloaded themselves from this flight and that police were in attendance for two further passengers who subsequently chose to travel today.

“Following an additional security check, the flight left 90 minutes later.”

Do you know the men who took themselves off the flight? Email newsdesk@birminghammail.co.uk or call 0121 234 5536.