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.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_West, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/su.html