SHARJAH // Passengers arriving in Sharjah on a flight from Islamabad yesterday said security was extraordinarily tight at the Pakistani airport, but they had seen little difference in the UAE.
There were thorough body examinations and airport officials were double-checking travellers' documents, said Pakistani Amjad Hussein.
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"More than two officers had to look at the passport of one of the passengers in front of me," he said. "We all knew they were taking extra care because they are concerned some al Qa'eda men could be fleeing the area or wanting to take revenge."
Junaid Khan, another passenger, said the al Qa'eda leader's compound in Abbottabad was 2km from his home.
He said he learnt about the killing at the airport before checking in and said he understood the concerns of the airport security team being very strict.
"What was done in the name of Islam was wrong and does not represent the majority of Muslims," he said.
"People in Pakistan want to be left alone and are more concerned with how they are going to feed their families than some idiot who thinks he represents all Muslims worldwide."