Afriqiyah Airways hijacker sentenced to 25 years in prison by Maltese court
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One of the men in the hijacking of an Afriqiyah Airways in 2016, a 29-year-old Libyan man, Shah Soko Moussa, was sentenced by the Maltese courts to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of € 9,990 after admitting the charges against him.
Moussa had hijacked an Afriqiyah Airways flight with 30-year-old Ali Ahmed Saleh back on 23 December 2016, which landed in Malta. The two had boarded the Airbus A320 in Libyan airspace and diverted it to Malta.
The pair of hijackers were loyal to the late Libyan dictator, with some Libyan media even claiming that they hijacked the plane because they wanted publicity for a new political party.
There were 111 passengers and six crew members on board. The hijackers tried to attack the cockpit of the plane, while they were armed with fake weapons.
Last February, Moussa pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. Among other things, Moussa was charged with terrorism, kidnapping, and committing a violent act on an airplane.
Main Photo: Maltese special forces enter the hijacked Afriqiyah Airways airplane at the Malta International Airport in Luqa, Malta, 23 December 2016. EPA/DOMENIC AQUILINA
