Co-Pilot Took Control Of The Aircraft While Captain Was In The Lavatory ... Arrested On Landing

The co-pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 has been arrested after hijacking the plane, flying it to Switzerland, and asking for political asylum after landing in Geneva.

The co-pilot, identified as 31-year-old Hailemedhin Abera, locked himself in the cockpit of the airliner when the captain went to the lavatory during the flight to Rome. The plane circled Geneva-Cointrin airport, which was closed by Swiss authorities due to the incident. The U.K. newspaper The Guardian reports that the unarmed co-pilot lowered himself from a cockpit window on a rope, where he was arrested.

The passengers on the airplane were mostly Italian. While authorities said that they were never "in any danger," one passenger reported that the co-pilot made an announcement over the PA system in broken English in which "the threat to crash the plane was clearly understood." Francesco Cuomo, told the Italian news agency ANSA that the cabin oxygen masks came down from the ceiling, which made the passengers nervous. The co-pilot also told the passengers to put on their oxygen masks, and threatened to "take away your oxygen" if they did not stay in their seats with seatbelts fastened.

The airport was closed for about two hours as authorities escorted each of the 200 people on board from the airplane with their hands over their heads. Abera has been charged by Swiss authorities with taking hostages, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He could face 25 years in Ethiopia for hijacking the airliner. Swiss officials said his chances of being granted asylum were minimal.

FMI: www.foca.admin.ch