An Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise aircraft flying to Rome was hijacked by the co-pilot and made a forced landing in Geneva, where police arrested the man before freeing all passengers and remaining crew.
The Boeing Co. 767 wide-body jet carrying 202 passengers touched down shortly after 6 a.m. at Geneva's Cointrin airport, which was temporarily closed. The unarmed co-pilot had taken charge of the cockpit while the captain was in the bathroom, and the Ethiopian native sought asylum in Switzerland.
"His act was motivated by the fact that he says he felt threatened in Ethiopia and wanted to ask for asylum in Switzerland," said Eric Grandjean, a spokesman for the Geneva police. "The 202 passengers and crew members at no point had been threatened or put in danger."