A GROUP of Weymouth tourists were embroiled in a terror scare aboard a plane preparing to fly them home.

Around 50 people from the town were believed to have been on the flight from Turkey to the UK when a group of men, who had been refused entry to Turkey, were placed in the aircraft by the authorities.

One of those caught up in the ensuing drama described events aboard the plane, which was about to fly from Antalya to Gatwick.

It is believed the four men, described as being of Middle eastern appearance, had previously travelled from Stansted Airport but were refused entry to Turkey for reasons yet to be explained.

At the request of the Turkish authorities, the party were due to return to the UK on the next available flight, which happened to be to the one to Gatwick.

The resident who was onboard told the Echo: “During an altercation with other passengers, one of them apparently said, ‘You are all going down. We are ok, we will be meeting Allah’ “As the words they had uttered spread through the plane, chaos broke out.

“Women were crying. One lady started to hyperventilate. Passengers were taking their baggage from the overhead lockers and trying to get off the plane.”

The men were escorted off the plane. The rest of the passengers were also asked to leave the plane whilst a full search was conducted as a precaution.

They were able to re-board the plane four hours later with the rest of the journey passing without incident.

The witness added: “If they [the men arrested] had said what they had allegedly said whilst we were airborne, who knows what would have happened?

“In one of the worst years in aviation history, to say something like that even as a joke it was going to be picked up on.”

A spokesman for Thomas Cook Airlines said: “Thomas Cook Airlines can confirm that a group of four customers travelling from Stansted to Antalya were refused entry by the Turkish authorities on April 29 2015 and were due to return to the UK on a flight to Gatwick.

“Following our crew identifying a subsequent security hoax on board this flight prior to departure for Gatwick from Antalya, the airport authorities undertook searches of the aircraft as a precaution. The aircraft departed as normal.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience.”

The men- aged 32, 36, 37 and 38- were flown back to the UK on another flight and arrested under the Civil Aviation Act 1982.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "In the early hours of Thursday, April 29, a Thomas Cook flight arrived at Gatwick from Turkey, having apparently been delayed leaving Turkey due to an incident during the boarding procedure there.

"Sussex officers spoke to those on board and took contact details with a view to their being interviewed as potential witnesses by local officers where they live in due course."