The wife of a jailed British businessman has defended him after he was sentenced for threatening to rape a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant during a flight.
Abeer Rizvi, a Pakistani supermodel, said her husband Salman Iftikhar’s actions were linked to mental health struggles. “Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there’s pain you don’t see. Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human,” she wrote on Instagram.
Iftikhar, 37, was flying first class from London to Lahore with his other wife, Erum Salman, and their three children in February 2023. After drinking champagne, he became aggressive toward flight attendant Angie Walsh.
According to court records, he insulted her with racist language, threatened to kill her, and said she would be gang-raped and set on fire. He also claimed a hotel where she was staying would be blown up.
Iftikhar later admitted to making threats to kill and racially harassing Walsh. He denied harassment charges against another crew member.
The incident left Walsh traumatized. In a statement to the court, she said she had worked as a flight attendant for 37 years — including during 9/11 and in warzones — but this was the first time she felt unsure what to do. She took 14 months off work as a result.
On August 5, 2025, Isleworth Crown Court sentenced Iftikhar to 15 months in prison. Virgin Atlantic praised Walsh and the crew for handling the situation professionally and said it has zero tolerance for abusive behavior on flights.
