Hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight lands in Geneva

[JI7]

Source: Deutsche Welle

On Monday morning, authorities said they had arrest the man suspected of hijacking the flight, which originated in Addis Ababa and was headed to Rome before being diverted to Switzerland.

"Hijacker held, situation under control, no injuries," Geneva airport police said in a test message sent to media. They added that the airport was temporarily closed.

The Ethiopian Airlines flight ET702 departed on 2130 Sunday UTC for the Italian capital before it "was forced to proceed to Geneva Airport," the airline said online.

The plane landed in Geneva at 6 a.m. local time (0500 UTC), authorities said.

Read more: http://www.dw.de/hijacked-ethiopian-airlines-flight-lands-in-geneva/a-17436934

[jakeXT]

1. The old bathroom trick

Rome-bound passenger jet was "forced to proceed" to Geneva early Monday when its co-pilot took control of the aircraft while the pilot was in the bathroom, an official said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ethiopian-airlines-jet-hijacked-co-pilot-geneva-airport-boss-n31916

[JI7]

2. do you think the pilot knew ?

[jakeXT]

3. I don't know, but it was a stupid move /nt

[Blue_Tires]

7. No, the captain wouldn't have been in on it...

Given the post-9/11 nature of flight deck doors that can only lock from the inside, there have been more than a few intentional/unintentional incidents when one pilot or the other gets up to grab a snack or use the can...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25482083
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/31/travel/737-officer-asleep-at-controls/index.html
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-15/india/39280508_1_trainee-pilot-cockpit-air-india-pilot

[Blue_Tires]

4. Fuckin' stupid...

If he was that desperate for asylum, he would have been much better off just flying to Rome like normal and 'disappearing' at the airport...

[jakeXT]

5. He uncovered a security hole "fighter jets grounded as hijacking happened outside business hours"

Swiss fighter jets grounded as Ethiopian Airlines hijacking happened outside business hours

NO SWISS fighter jets were scrambled on Monday when an Ethiopian Airlines copilot hijacked his own plane because it happened outside business hours, the Swiss air force said.

When the copilot on flight ET-702 from Addis Ababa to Rome locked himself in the cockpit while the pilot went to the bathroom and announced a hijacking, Italian and French fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane through their respective airspaces.

But although the co-pilot-turned-hijacker quickly announced he wanted to land the plane in Switzerland, where he later said he aimed to seek asylum, Switzerland’s fleet of F-18s and F-5 Tigers remained on the ground, Swiss air force spokesman Laurent Savary said.

This, he explained, was because the Swiss air force is only available during office hours. These are reported to be from 8am until noon, then 1:30 to 5pm.

http://www.news.com.au/world/swiss-fighter-jets-grounded-as-ethiopian-airlines-hijacking-happened-outside-business-hours/story-fndir2ev-1226830033739

[Blue_Tires]

6. Yeah, the Swiss have very strict work rules

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/5997174/1/#217

I'd love to emigrate (legally) but that country is probably busting at the seams already...

[Blue_Tires]

8. Ethiopian Airlines hijacker threatened to crash plane, passenger says

One passenger said the hijacker threatened to crash the plane if the pilot didn't stop pounding on the locked door. Another said passengers were terrified "for hours" as the plane careened across the sky.

The Boeing 767-300 took off from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on an overnight flight to Milan and Rome, but an Ethiopian official said it sent a distress message over Sudan that it had been hijacked. Once the plane was over Europe, two Italian fighter jets and later French jets were scrambled to accompany it.

The plane, which was supposed to go to Milan first, landed in Geneva at about 6 a.m. local time. Officials said no one on the flight was injured and the hijacker was taken into custody after surrendering to Swiss police.

"The pilot went to the toilet and he [the co-pilot] locked himself in the cockpit," Geneva airport chief executive Robert Deillon told reporters. "[He] wanted asylum in Switzerland."

It wasn't immediately clear why the co-pilot, a 31-year-old Ethiopian man, chose Switzerland, where voters recently demanded curbs on immigration. Italy, however, has a reputation among many Africans as not being hospitable to asylum seekers.

Ethiopian Airlines is owned by Ethiopia's government, which has faced persistent criticism over its rights record and its alleged intolerance of political dissent. Geneva police said the co-pilot claimed he felt threatened in Ethiopia.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ethiopian-airlines-hijacker-threatened-to-crash-plane-passenger-says-1.2539920

Dude ain't right in the head, or there is a lot more going on in his life than we know about...I'd like to think someone working as an international pilot for a big-name airline in Ethiopia has a much better life than he ever would as an asylum refugee in Switzerland...Either way, commandeering the flight was the ONE surefire way to make sure he'd never get his request granted...According to Swiss officials the co-pilot is looking at a term of up to 20 years, and then shipped to Ethiopia to serve whatever sentence that country will hand down...

Not smart at all...Just fly to Rome as planned, quietly slip away in the terminal, run to the nearest train station, and buy a ticket to the European country of choice...The one good thing I can say about him is at least he didn't harm anyone with this stunt...

[JI7]

9. i'm wondering if there is more to it also, i hope they do a mental evaluation

will be interesting to see what happens.

could he be schizophrenic ?

[Blue_Tires]

10. If he is, then ET will come under a LOT of scrutiny for their (lack of) screening

in the hiring process...

Another possibility is some major crime, fraud or whatever is about be discovered and he had to get out before the police came knocking at his door...

EDIT: One of the airliners.net posters from Switzerland has answered all my questions:



Quoting wingman (Reply 247):
Want asylum in Switzerland? Maybe just take a train there after landing in Rome. The chosen course instead guarantees he doesn't stand a chance.

There are two things more that come into play here:

1. Due to the Dublin treaty, any asylum seeker cannot apply for an asylum if he comes from a safe third state (namely Italy). So the Swiss would have to turn down his request.

In order to avoid this issue, he would need to land... in Switzerland!

Bingo, we have a winner!

2. I've read that Italy has an extradition treaty with Ethiopia, but Switzerland hasn't. Due to the point above, getting to Switzerland would not have saved him if he enters the country from Italy.

Buuuut... Bingo again - by landing in Switzerland, he can avoid this extradition issue!

Though, his very best chances would have been to apply for a job in Switzerland, or found his own business here. Despite the referendum on February 9th, getting a one-year residence permit would not have been a big problem. The laws don't change that quickly - it's our parliament that has to enact the specific laws in the three years to come.


David

[JI7]

11. he was smart enough to have knowledge of all of these little details

concerning each country but the way he tried to avoid it was just stupid.

i'm guessing it's not mental problem anymore based on that.

[Blue_Tires]

12. Profile of the co-pilot

Hailemedhin is described by his high school friends as a quiet and reclusive man who rarely enjoyed social gatherings.

He was raised by a devotee Orthodox Christians family. Both of his parents are alive and residents of Bahirdar city.

His mother is a house-wife while the father is widely-known in the city as being engaged in usury(lending to money with high interest). However, the fact that he was not detained during a recent crackdown on usury triggered a rumor of having a cosy relationship with government officials among Bahirdar residents.

Most of our sources – acquainted with Hailemedhin – concurred that he was a man of good characters. He – as well as his seven brothers and sisters – are known in Bahirdar city as outstanding students. Two of his sisters are medical doctor and engineer.

Hailemedhin is not married but lives with his girlfriend in Addis Ababa – at an apartment nearby Imperial Hotel, in Addis Ababa. His girlfriend is a self-employed lady and running a small internet-cafe, according to one of his friends.

There was nothing to suggest that Hailemedhin had any prior plan of creating an international incident – according to the conversations he had with his close friends a day before he left Addis Ababa, which I can’t disclose to protect the anonymity of my sources.

http://hornaffairs.com/en/2014/02/18/exclusive-whos-ethiopian-haijacker-hailemedhin-abera/

I have seen speculation that he might be gay and was trying to escape persecution, but it has not been confirmed...

[JI7]

13. Ethiopia pilot was distraught over death in family

<The uncle of an Ethiopian pilot who hijacked a flight to Rome and took it to Geneva said on Tuesday that his nephew had been distraught over the loss of another uncle.

The uncle, Alemu Asmamaw, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that 31-year-old co-pilot Hailemedhin Abera was in emotional distress over the past month following the sudden death of an uncle. He did not say how Hailemedhin's uncle died.

"I fear that the death of his uncle...has put a strain on his life," he said. He named the uncle as Emiru Seyoum and said he taught at Ethiopia's Addis Ababa University. An obituary for Emiru Seyoum on the Addis Ababa University website said the associate professor died suddenly on Jan. 1 while going from his home to the university.>

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140219/NEWS/140219596/1006/FORTREPORT

[davidpdx]

14. Ethiopian Airlines:

Our pilots do the hijackings