Fri, Jan 26, 2007
Officials In Chad Say Man Will Be Tried In Court There
The
man who hijacked a Sudanese jetliner this week, reportedly to call
attention to the situation in the Darfur region of the troubled
country, has asked for asylum in Britain following the safe
resolution of the crisis.
Media reports identify the hijacker as 26-year-old Mohamed Abdu
Altif, a resident of the North Darfur capital city El Fasher. Using
a pistol, Altif allegedly hijacked an Air West 737 flying from
Khartoum to El Fasher, and forced the pilot to land in the Chadian
capital of N'Djamena. None of the 103 persons onboard were injured
in the incident.
"The passengers were unaware that the plane had been hijacked,"
said Air West managing director Saif Omer to the Associated Press.
Chadian authorities say Altif originally told the pilot to fly to
London, but agreed to land in Chad when the pilot informed him the
plane didn't have enough fuel.
Officials haven't commented on how Altif was able to board the
flight with a handgun, although it's common knowledge security is
lacking in the region.
"We don't know where the security breach occurred," said an
anonymous Air West official.
Analysts fear the hijacking is likely to further complicate
telations between Chad and Sudan. The two countries have accused
each other of backing rebels in their respective countries for
years.
Chad's infrastructure minister, Adoum Younousmi, said Altif
would be brought to trial, and not allowed to flee to Britain.
"He is a terrorist and we will take him to court," Younousmi
said. Sudanese officials declined to comment on the matter.
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