The co-pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines plane flying from Addis Ababa to Rome has hijacked the aircraft and landed in Geneva to get Swiss Asylum.
The hijacker, an Ethiopian man born in 1983, and – who has been arrested now – waited for the pilot to go to the toilet to lock himself in the cockpit. He was unarmed. He has requested asylum in Switzerland due to fear of persecution in Ethiopia. The airline said in a statement that all 202 passengers and crew were safe. Geneva airport, which was closed for a time, has now reopened.
After locking himself in the cockpit, the hijacker asked to refuel at Geneva, landed the plane, climbed down from the cockpit window using a rope (available in the cockpit), and gave himself up to police. The co-pilot himself alerted the authorities to the plane’s hijacking.
Flight 702 was scheduled to leave the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at 00:30 local time (21:30 GMT), and arrive in Rome at 04:40 local time. The Boeing 767-300 made an unscheduled landing in the Swiss city at 06:00.
My friend, it’s pretty a bad time… Switzerland is closing its boarders these days!
Read more here.
[…] Strange Human Behavior: Ethiopian Airlines Co-Pilot Hijacks Plane For Swiss Asylum […]