An Ethiopian man hijacked an Ethiopian Airlines plane to Aden on April 2. The hijacker later surrendered. The Boeing 727, which was on a domestic flight, was carrying 135 passengers and eight crew members. The plane was allowed to land in Yemen for “humanitarian considerations,” according to Yemeni television.
The man reportedly asked for asylum. The jet was allowed to return to Ethiopia. An Ethiopian airlines spokesman in Addis Abeba said the plane had been on a flight from Dre Dawa to Addis Abeba when it was hijacked.
Another Ethiopian Airline Boeing 727 plane carrying 105 passengers was hijacked to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya on April 12.
The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Addis Abeba to Bahda in Northwest Ethiopia.
The hijackers reportedly demanded $5 million and fuel for the plane to fly to Canada. Initially, the hijackers refused to talk to Kenyan and Ethiopian officials. Later, they released some women and children, and one of the hijackers agreed to negotiate with Kenyan officials. It is reported that after the hijackers surrendered, two grenades were recovered from the plane.
The Ethiopian government has asked Kenyan authorities to extradite the four hijackers in accordance with international conventions against terrorism.