Chad will try the Sudanese hijacker – report

Feb 4, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Chad reportedly has no intention to extradite to Sudan the hijacker of a Sudanese aircraft. N’djamena said would try him according to Chadian laws.

The Sudanese ambassador to Chad, Abdallah al-Sheikh, has said there are no signs indicating that the Chadian government will hand over the hijacker of the Air West plane to Sudanese authorities for trial.

The ambassador told al-Sudani newspaper that Chadian authorities had told him that the hijacker was a criminal and was being questioned.

He said he had not received any official rejection regarding the handing over of the aircraft’s hijacker from the Chadian officials. “They are talking of trying him according to Chadian law,” he added.

Mohamed Abdelatif Mohamed, who was armed with several knives and a pistol, hijacked an Air West Boeing 737 with 103 passengers and crew on board on 24 January. The plane was on a domestic flight from Khartoum to el-Fasher in Sudan’s conflict-torn western Darfur region.

(ST)