Eritrean copter lands in Saudi, crew seek asylum

Dec 22, 2006 (RIYADH) — A helicopter from Eritrea landed in Saudi Arabia on Friday where the pilot and his assistant sought political asylum, Saudi state-run agency reported.

A Saudi Defence Ministry official said the Russian-built helicopter (17 A) entered Saudi air space and made emergency contact with a Saudi airport of before landing safely in Jizan at the southwest of the kingdom, the official SPA said.

“The pilot and his aide sought political asylum,” the official said, adding that an investigation had been launched.

Nor further details were given by the Saudi agency regarding the identity and the motivation of the Eritrean crew.

(Reuters/ST)