Rageit Almurisi cannot speak English very well and could have misunderstood the signs inside the jet, his cousin claimed.

The maths teacher, who was heard yelling 'Allahu Akbar' as he allegedly battered the door, had also only been on three planes in his life and would have been unfamiliar with the layout.

His family also claimed that Almurisi, 28, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and could also have reacted badly when an air stewardess told him to sit down.

His painful joint condition meant he had to take regular walks on flights, they claimed. 'I would not be having that,' his cousin Rageh Almoraissi said.

'If a flight attendant has the nerve to grab me and try to force me to my seat, believe me, you would hear about other people having injuries.'