Reports say flight ET702 from Addis Ababa to Rome was flying over Sudan
when it signalled a hijacking
Swiss authorities have detained
the hijacker of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that was forced to land at
Geneva’s international airport early on Monday morning, airport police said,
adding that passengers and crew were safe.
The situation was “under
control”, police said after flight ET 702 had been diverted from its original
destination of Rome. The airline earlier said the flight from the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa had been “forced to proceed” to Geneva.
An Ethiopian government spokesman, Redwan Hussein, told Reuters
the flight had made a scheduled stop in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where
he said the hijacker or hijackers might have boarded the flight.
“We don’t know where they are from or how many they are but it
looks like the hijacker or hijackers boarded the flight in Khartoum,” Redwan
told Reuters shortly before police announced they had detained the assailant.
In an apparent recording of a
radio communication between the aircraft and air traffic control posted on
Twitter, a demand for asylum can clearly be heard.
The authenticity of the
recording could not be independently verified and it was not immediately clear
whether it was a hijacker or pilot speaking from the plane.
A flight tracking app showed the flight circling over the Swiss city several times before landing.
A flight tracking app showed the flight circling over the Swiss city several times before landing.
“Hijacker held, situation under control, no injuries,” Swiss
police said in a message to media.
An Ethiopian Airlines statement
said flight 702 “on scheduled service departing from Addis Ababa at 00:30
(local time) scheduled to arrive in Rome at 04:40 (local time) was forced to
proceed to Geneva airport.
“Accordingly, the flight has landed safely at Geneva airport.
All passengers and crew are safe at Geneva airport,” it said.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com
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