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Al-Ahram Weekly 28 Oct. - 3 Nov. 1999 Issue No. 453 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 28 Oct. - 3 Nov. 1999 Issue No. 453
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Study Special Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Safety issues up in the air
By Rehab SaadThe hijacking of an EgyptAir passenger plane last week by an Egyptian wielding a pen has raised several key questions concerning two issues: the airliner's security measures and the possibility that the man be deported to Egypt to be tried in Egyptian courts.
According to Assem Megahed, assistant foreign minister for Egyptian expatriate affairs, there is no agreement between Egypt and Germany on the extradition of criminals. "Egypt did not ask the German authorities to extradite the defendant," Megahed said. "It has yet to be decided whether Egypt will request his extradition since the whole situation is still under study by both the ministries of foreign affairs and interior," Megahed told Al-Ahram Weekly.
He added that the defendant, 31-year-old Khalifa Fadlallah, was an "ordinary person" who has no criminal record, and that there were no indications that he was connected to extremist groups.
He said Egypt's consul in Hamburg, Rawya Sweidan, had visited Fadlallah in his jail cell in Germany and was following up the matter with German authorities.
The hijacking has triggered a heated debate on the security measures being taken on EgyptAir flights especially since Fadlallah used a pen, not a knife, as was previously reported, to waylay the crew.
A security official at Cairo Airport has been quoted in the Arabic press as saying that two security guards aboard EgyptAir could have contained the situation from the start. "What would prevent two security guards from subduing a man even if he has a knife in his hand?" he asked. "The primary duty of these guards is to monitor the movement of passengers and their behaviour and intervene when necessary, and at the right moment. EgyptAir guards are highly trained and are subjected to rigourous tests before they are hired." He suggested that security guards be rotated every now and then "to be able to do their job properly," he said.
A security official in EgyptAir insisted, however, that the guards were not at fault. "According to international aviation rules, if a plane is hijacked, no acts of violence during the flight should be committed," he said.
Fadlallah hijacked the EgyptAir plane on 19 October. He seized control of the plane soon after it left Istanbul's Attaturk Airport en route to Cairo and ordered the pilot to head for London. The pilot managed to persuade Fadlallah that the plane did not have enough fuel to reach London and headed instead for Hamburg. After arriving in the German city, the pilot convinced Fadlallah to surrender. German authorities detained him as soon as he disembarked.
In its next meeting the cabinet is expected to review a detailed report on the security measures that must be taken aboard EgyptAir passenger planes.
