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Pilot after Somalia emergency: Airplane security is “zero” Pilot after Somalia emergency: Airport security is ‘zero’
(about 1 hour later)
BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serb pilot who landed a jetliner in Somalia with a three-foot hole in its fuselage said Sunday he never doubted that it was caused by a bomb and described the security surrounding the airplane at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu as “zero.” BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serbian pilot who landed a jetliner in Somalia with a three-foot hole in its fuselage said Sunday that he never doubted it was caused by a bomb and described the security surrounding the airplane at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu as “zero.”
A suicide bomber is suspected to have set off the explosive inside the plane, Somali officials said Saturday. The blast sucked a male passenger out of the plane and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing Tuesday in Somalia’s capital, they said.A suicide bomber is suspected to have set off the explosive inside the plane, Somali officials said Saturday. The blast sucked a male passenger out of the plane and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing Tuesday in Somalia’s capital, they said.
The explosion happened about 15 minutes after the plane, with 74 passengers on board, took off from the airport and was at 11,000 feet ascending toward 30,000 feet.The explosion happened about 15 minutes after the plane, with 74 passengers on board, took off from the airport and was at 11,000 feet ascending toward 30,000 feet.
“If we were higher, the whole plane could have disintegrated after the explosion,” said the pilot, Vlatko Vodopivec.“If we were higher, the whole plane could have disintegrated after the explosion,” said the pilot, Vlatko Vodopivec.
At a higher altitude, the hole in the fuselage might have caused more severe structural damage, he said.At a higher altitude, the hole in the fuselage might have caused more severe structural damage, he said.
Because the plane was at a lower altitude, he was able to land it safely, Vodopivec said. “The plane acted normally, and we virtually returned normally. Engines and hydraulics worked normally.”Because the plane was at a lower altitude, he was able to land it safely, Vodopivec said. “The plane acted normally, and we virtually returned normally. Engines and hydraulics worked normally.”
A Somalia government spokesman said that CCTV footage at the Mogadishu airport shows two men handing what looks like a laptop computer to the suspected suicide bomber after he passed through the security checkpoint. A spokesman for the Somali government said that closed-circuit footage at the Mogadishu airport shows two men handing what looks like a laptop computer to the suspected suicide bomber after he passed through the security checkpoint.
Spokesman Abdisalam Atto said that at least one of the men delivering the laptop was an airport employee and that 20 people, including airport employees, have been arrested. Spokesman Abdisalam Atto said that at least one of the men delivering the computer was an airport employee and that 20 people, including airport employees, have been arrested.
It is believed the laptop-like device was the bomb that caused the explosion.It is believed the laptop-like device was the bomb that caused the explosion.
The explosion killed one passenger, Abdullahi Abdisalam Borle, according to Somali officials who did not give more details. A man’s body was found in the town of Balad, about 18 miles north of Mogadishu, according to police officials, who said he might have been blown from the plane.The explosion killed one passenger, Abdullahi Abdisalam Borle, according to Somali officials who did not give more details. A man’s body was found in the town of Balad, about 18 miles north of Mogadishu, according to police officials, who said he might have been blown from the plane.
Borle is suspected to have been the suicide bomber, the Associated Press was told by a senior Somali civil aviation official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.Borle is suspected to have been the suicide bomber, the Associated Press was told by a senior Somali civil aviation official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
The pilot blamed the incident on the lack of security around the plane at Aden Adde International Airport, describing the facility as chaotic.The pilot blamed the incident on the lack of security around the plane at Aden Adde International Airport, describing the facility as chaotic.
“The security is zero. When we park there, some 20 to 30 people come to the tarmac,” said Vodopivec, a veteran pilot who has made numerous flights to the airport. “No one has a badge or those yellow vests. They enter and leave the plane, and no one knows who is who. . . . They can put anything inside when passengers leave the aircraft.”“The security is zero. When we park there, some 20 to 30 people come to the tarmac,” said Vodopivec, a veteran pilot who has made numerous flights to the airport. “No one has a badge or those yellow vests. They enter and leave the plane, and no one knows who is who. . . . They can put anything inside when passengers leave the aircraft.”
Somalia’s government has said it will tighten security at the airport to prevent other such incidents.Somalia’s government has said it will tighten security at the airport to prevent other such incidents.
Somalia faces an insurgency from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has carried out deadly attacks in the country and in some of its neighbors, including Kenya.Somalia faces an insurgency from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has carried out deadly attacks in the country and in some of its neighbors, including Kenya.
Daallo Airlines, which is based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, has temporarily suspended its operations in Somalia’s capital following the incident but hopes to restart them soon, said Mohammed Ibrahim Yassin, the airline’s chief executive.Daallo Airlines, which is based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, has temporarily suspended its operations in Somalia’s capital following the incident but hopes to restart them soon, said Mohammed Ibrahim Yassin, the airline’s chief executive.
— Associated Press— Associated Press