Air West Flight 612
 A Boeing 737, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijacking | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 24, 2007 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | N'Djamena, Chad |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737 |
| Operator | Air West |
| Registration | Unknown |
| Flight origin | Khartoum International Airport, Khartoum |
| Destination | El Fasher Airport, Al-Fashir |
| Passengers | 95[1] |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 103 (all)[2] |
Air West Flight 612 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Air West between Khartoum and Al-Fashir, both in Sudan.[3] On January 24, 2007, with 103 people on board, the flight, operated by a Boeing 737, was hijacked shortly after takeoff by a male individual.[3][4] The plane landed safely at N'Djamena, Chad, where the hijacker surrendered.[3]
Hijacking
On the day of the hijacking the plane had an entirely Sudanese passenger complement, the only exceptions being a British citizen and an Italian
After the pilot explained that there was not enough fuel on board to reach London, he agreed to fly to Chad.
Subsequent events
The passengers and crew subsequently re-boarded the aircraft, which then returned to Khartoum International at 22:00 local time (19:00 UTC).[8] The Sudanese Minister of Justice requested that Interpol hand over Muhammed, a Sudanese national, so that he could be charged with terrorism, posing a threat to passenger safety, and illegal possession of arms.[9] Chad further announced an intention to prosecute him.[6]
Chad's infrastructure minister, Adoum Younousmi, later said: "Chad is not a terrorist haven. He is a terrorist and we will take him to court".[10] A Chadian official subsequently identified him as being "close to" the Justice and Equality Movement rebel group.[8] Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority also formed a separate committee specifically to investigate how Muhammed was able to pass through security undetected.[8]
Motives
After Mohammed's arrest, he was taken to the headquarters for the National Security Agency for interrogation.[8] There, he revealed his motives for the hijacking. He wanted to draw attention to the conflict in Darfur, stating: "I wanted to attract national and international opinion to what's happening in Darfur." He said that wanted to go first to Rome, and then to the United Kingdom to seek asylum.[8] "I'm neither a rebel nor in the opposition, but the Sudanese government is exterminating the population by creating conflicts among different communities and saying that it's just an internal, communal problem," he said.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "BBC NEWS - Africa - Sudan plane hijackers surrender". August 27, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ^ "Chadian troops seize hijacker of Sudanese plane". ABC News. January 24, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Hijacked Plane Lands In Chad". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Sudanese hijack ends, hijacker seized in Chad – newsgd.com – Retrieved April 18, 2007.
- ^ "Sudanese arrested after attempted plane hijack". March 30, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Sudan Plane Hijacker Surrenders in Chad – Townhall.com – Retrieved April 18, 2007.
- ^ Sudanese passenger plane hijacked by gunman[dead link] – Reuters – Retrieved April 19, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Troops seize hijacker of Sudan plane in Chad Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – France 24 – Retrieved April 19, 2007.
- ^ Air West Flight Hijack Archived July 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – Press Release by the United States embassy in khartoum, Sudan. Obtained on April 18, 2007.
- ^ Sudan Plane Hijack Ends Peacefully – China.org.cn – Retrieved April 19, 2007.
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