Crew face trial over limo blunder

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The men, part of an RAF Tornado crew taking part in a multinational exercise, were off duty and said to have been drinking before attending a Justin Timberlake concert.

Upon leaving, they "mistakenly" tried to get into a limousine belonging to the brother of United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

They were arrested by local police and released on Sunday, to stand trial next week.

The Foreign Office confirmed that an apology had been issued. The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: "The RAF can confirm that three off-duty personnel were arrested in Abu Dhabi on December 6 by local police in connection with an alleged incident. They were released on bail on December 9.

"The RAF can also confirm that they were in Abu Dhabi on an air exercise with multi-national forces.

"We expect our service personnel abroad to conduct themselves appropriately, taking into account local sensitivities and Foreign Office travel advice.

"We are unable to comment any further on this case or any administrative action that might be considered until the legal process has been concluded."

A senior RAF source told The Sun: "All personnel serving overseas are specifically briefed on local sensibilities and told that upsetting the host nation is the number one sin.

"We understand that there is no question of the men trying to steal a car - they were genuinely mistaken."