Afriqiyah hijacker pleads guilty

One of the men charged with hijacking and diverting a flight to Malta in 2016 has admitted the charges against him.

Shah Soko Moussa, 29, and Ali Ahmed Saleh, 30, both of Sebha, Libya, were charged with hijacking the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 on 23 December 2016, together with a host of other charges related to terrorism. The men had unsuccessfully tried to storm the locked cockpit of the aircraft, armed with replica weapons and had then threatened to blow up the plane. The aircraft had diverted to Malta with 111 passengers and six crew members on board after being seized in Libyan airspace.

The court solemnly warned him that the charges were terrorism-related and carried with them a possible life sentence.

This morning, before magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, Moussa pleaded guilty to the charges, which were slowly read out together with their punishment.

His lawyer Martha Mifsud said that she had explained to him several times, in the presence of his interpreter, the implications of such an admission.

The court solemnly warned him that the charges were terrorism-related and carried with them a possible life sentence.

Moussa confirmed his guilty plea.

The court remitted the acts to the Attorney General for eventual sentencing by the criminal court.

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