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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Sudan hijack 'accomplices' jailed |
| 2002-10-30 |
| Three Sudanese men have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms by a court in Khartoum for helping a Saudi national in a failed attempt to hijack a Saudi airliner earlier this month. The three were handed jail sentences ranging from 17 to 12 years by a criminal court in the Sudanese capital as well as being heavily fined. A Saudi national had tried to hijack the plane with a gun shortly after it took off from Khartoum for Saudi Arabia on 15 October. He was overpowered and the airliner returned to the city. The BBC's Alfred Taban in Khartoum says that lawyers in Khartoum agree the sentences are heavy - the maximum sentence for hijacking in Sudan is 10 years. The Soddies said the guy was a nut. Since when do nuts have accomplices? One of the three men was found guilty of taking a bribe from the hijacker, Adel Nasser Ahmed Faraj, to allow him to take his gun on board the plane. He was fined $1,200. The other two defendants, a broker and a tailor, helped Mr Faraj obtain the gun. The judge said he had written to the aviation authority to ask them to improve security measures at Khartoum airport. As Joe Isuzu would say, "Gooood idea!" |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |