By Sulaiman Jalloh
Government of Sierra Leone has announced the arrest of six individuals connected to the unauthorized landing of an aircraft at the Freetown International Airport.
The announcement followed days after the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) impounded a non-scheduled aircraft which landed at the Freetown International Airport on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, carrying four passengers, including the flight captain.
According to a release dated Monday, September 23, 2024, from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, three of the passengers are Mexican nationals, noting security apparatus including Office of the National Security (ONS), have commenced technical and security investigation.
The released furthered that, after a thorough search, nothing of suspicious was found in the aircraft but that all those who were in the aircraft have been handed over to the Sierra Leone Police for questioning. “The aircraft has been closed and the keys handed over to the ONS. Police and army personnel are guarding the aircraft,” the released mentioned.
According to Information Ministry, initial investigation revealed that the passengers had claimed that the aircraft was from Liberia and were heading to Mexico, but reports however noted that the aircraft had no landing permit and did not contact the airspace controller before landing at the airport. “The flight captain who claimed he does not speak English, later spoke English and revealed that he was paid $20,000 to do the trip from Liberia to Mexico,” the release added.
Government, through SLCAA, said technical report of the incident is underway and that the country’s airspace and the airport is safe hence normal operations are ongoing.
