Alleged Airplane Hijacker

from the Japan Times Sunday February 10th,2008

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand. (AFP-Jiji) A 33-year-old Somali refugee appeared in a New Zealand court Saturday on charges of attempting to hijack a small passenger plane and stabbing its pilots, reports said.

Asha Ali Abdille was remanded in custody for a psychiatric examination after her court appearance on charges of injuring with intent and trying to take over the plane during a flight on New Zealand's South Island on Friday.

Abdille, the first person to face a hijacking charge in New Zealand, allegedly stabbed two pilots with a knife during the midair attack on a short Air National flight from the town of Blenheim to Christchurch.

She allegedly demanded the pilots fly to Australia and also claimed she had bombs on board, though military bomb disposal experts did not find the explosive devices on the plane, police have said.

The wounded pilots managed to safely land the 19 seater despite Abdille trying to grab the controls. She was arrested at the airport.

Abdille has been described as having a history of battles with authorities sating back to her arrival in New Zealand from a refugee camp as a 19-year-old in 1994.

Current Foreign Minister Winston Peters used parliamentary privilege that same year, when Abdille tried to bring 14 family members into the country, to reveal that she had several convictions.

Peters told Parliament she had also threatened to pour gasoline on a Red Cross staff member and had thrown a bucket of feces over a policeman since arriving in New Zealand.

Abdille told media at the time her actions were a result of trauma that she had suffered in the past, including being raped and beaten during the three years she spent in a Kenyan refugee camp.

The midair drama has led to calls for tighter air security measures in New Zealand where screening of carry-on-luggage is carried out only on domestic flights with more than 90 passengers.

Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven said that was in line with overseas practice and the government would wait until recieving reports into the alleged hijacking before wider security measures would be considered.

However, opposition Member of Parliament Ron Mark said the attack demonstrated how a serious incident could arise from a lack of screening procedures.

"Its a hell of a lot more inconvenient to have an aircraft go through the roof of your house, or have the whole airport shut down just because of the lack of screening at an airport in Blenheim," he told The New Zealand Herald.

One of the pilots recieved severe cuts to his hand and underwent surgery, while his co-pilot was treated at hospital for a foot injury and discharged.

The other six passengers on board were evacuated safely. One suffered a minor hand injury in the incident.