Ethiopian pilot who hijacked plane sentenced to 19 years in jail

Addis Ababa, 21 March 2015 (WIC) – An Ethiopian court sentenced an Ethiopian Airlines pilot to 19 years and six months in prison on Friday for hijacking his own plane and flying it to Geneva.

The high court in Addis Ababa issued its ruling on Hailemedhin Abera in his absence. He had been convicted in absentia on Monday.

"The court sentenced him to 19 years and six months in jail for the crime he committed," Shimeles Kemal, the government's spokesman, told Reuters.

The 32-year-old was second-in-command on the February 17, 2014 flight to Rome. According to Swiss police, he took control of the aircraft when the main pilot, an Italian, left the cockpit for a toilet break, then sent a coded signal announcing he had hijacked his own plane. (Reuters)