Liberation of Kuwait. Following the airliner's arrival at Kuwait International Airport , outside of Kuwait City , the flight was never resumed as a consequence of ongoing events on the ground.
Prior to landing at Kuwait International, the neighbouring nation of Iraq had launched a full-scale invasion of Kuwait during the early hours of that morning. Within hours, elements of the Iraqi Army had rapidly advanced as far as Kuwait City and had taken control of the airport. Accordingly, the aircraft used to operate the flight, its passengers and its crew were all captured by the occupying Iraqi forces on the ground. Following their capture, the majority of the passengers and crew were initially detained at several nearby hotels along with other foreigners under armed guard.
The airliner was later destroyed on the ground; the identity of those responsible for its destruction remains unknown. During their detention, multiple passengers have alleged that they witnessed a number of atrocities performed by Iraqi forces and were subjected to abuse themselves. While women and children were offered the opportunity to return home during late August, the remaining detainees were dispersed to various sites in Iraq and Kuwait and were used by the Iraqis as human shields to deter offensive operations by opposing Coalition forces during the Gulf War.
During one infamous incident, an Iraqi television broadcast showed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein alongside a number of the detainees as a part of wartime propaganda efforts.
To secure their release, former British prime minister Edward Heath personally travelled to Baghdad to lead negotiations, which included direct talks between Heath and Saddam Hussein. One passenger from the manifest a Kuwaiti citizen who had concluded his flight and disembarked the aircraft prior to BA 's capture was listed as having been killed by Iraqi troops while all remaining passengers were later released from their captivity following the conclusion of the conflict.
