Co-pilot turns himself in after mid-air hijack
The co-pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines plane flying from Addis Ababa to Rome has been arrested after hijacking the aircraft and flying it to Switzerland.
The BBC reported that the hijacker waited for the pilot to go to the toilet before locking himself in the cockpit.
He was unarmed and, after landing at Geneva airport, said he was requesting asylum in Switzerland.
The airline said all 202 passengers and crew were safe.
Passengers said the hijacker threatened to crash the plane.
Italian and French fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane as it crossed Europe.
A Swiss police spokesman said the co-pilot parked the plane on the taxiway, cut the engines then opened the cockpit window, threw out a rope and used it to descend to the tarmac.
“He ran towards the police and immediately identified himself as the co-pilot and hijacker,” police said.
Passengers were searched twice and questioned by police in case any were accomplices before being allowed to finish their journeys.
Ian Jarrett
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