Scorpions drummer James Kottak has been told to “sort out his problems” by bis bandmates following his arrest and imprisonment in Dubai.
Kottak, 51, spent a month behind bars in the United Arab Emirates city after being convicted of a bizarre airport outburst in which he is said to have insulted Muslims, made an indecent gesture to a group of passengers and removed his pants on April 3.
The band confirms in a post on its Facebook page that American Kottak has arrived home in the US. The full post reads: “James Kottak boarded a plane out of Dubai and arrived in the US last night. He will have to find the time to sort out his problems… Scorpions.”
A report by UAE newspaper The National said Kottak drank five glasses of wine on a flight from Moscow to Dubai and quotes an airport employee as saying: “When he saw the Pakistani and Afghani passengers, he covered his nose and said that there was no way he will travel with them.”
Kottak denied the claims and also denied taking down his trousers. As well as the one-month jail sentence, Kottak was fined £320 for drinking without a licence.
Swedish drummer Johan Franzon filled in for Kottak in a series of gigs in Scorpions’ home country of Germany in the wake of the incident.
