Co-pilot hijacks Ethiopian jetliner

Asylum seeker lands in Geneva, immediately surrenders to police

The co-pilot of a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight surrendered to Swiss authorities in Geneva on Monday after commandeering his aircraft to seek asylum in Switzerland, police said.

The co-pilot, who was not carrying a weapon, took control of the plane when the pilot left the cockpit to use the bathroom. After landing, he left the aircraft via a cockpit window, without harming passengers or crew, police spokesman Pierre Grangean said at a news conference.

"Just after landing, the co-pilot came out of the cockpit and ran to the police and said, 'I'm the hijacker'. He said he is not safe in his own country and wants asylum," Grangean said.

Passengers on the plane were unaware it had been hijacked, officials said.

As passengers left the plane, which was parked near the end of the runway, they were checked by police as they held their hands on their necks.

Ethiopian Information Minister Redwan Hussein identified the hijacker as 31-year-old Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn, and said he had been working with the national carrier for five years and had no criminal record.

"So far it is known that he was medically sane, until otherwise is proven through the investigation, which is going on right now," the minister said.

"So the intention, what forced him to hijack his own plane, still beggars belief. ... Any political, social or economic reason would not make sense to hijack your plane and be a criminal," he said.

"We don't see any criminal record ... and there was no reason for him to be prosecuted, so there was no reason for him to flee," he added.

Sent distress code

Flight ET-702 departed the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday evening bound for Rome. The plane was hijacked at about 3:30 am London time while over northern Italy, Grangean said. It landed at Geneva at 6:02 am.

He said the co-pilot landed the plane, climbed down on an emergency exit rope from a cockpit window, and gave himself up.

Robert Deillon, the CEO of Geneva airport, said air traffic controllers learned the plane had been hijacked when the co-pilot keyed a distress code into the aircraft's transponder,

"There is ... a code for hijack. So this co-pilot put in the code for 'I just hijacked the aircraft'," he said, adding that two Italian Eurofighters were scrambled to accompany it, he said.

State-run Ethiopian television said there were 193 passengers on board the aircraft, including 140 Italian nationals.

Geneva prosecutor Olivier Jornot said Swiss federal authorities were investigating the hijacking and will press charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

He said the co-pilot's chances of gaining asylum in Switzerland are slim after the incident.

"Technically, there is no connection between asylum and the fact he committed a crime to come here. But I think his chances are not very high," he said.

The brief drama in Geneva on Monday morning caused the cancellation of some short-haul flights, and some incoming flights were diverted to other airports. Hundreds of passengers booked on disrupted flights sought to change their tickets.

A flight-tracking app for mobile devices showed the flight circling over the Swiss city several times before landing.

Reuters - AP - AFP

(China Daily 02/18/2014 page12)