‘Hijacker' stays in custody as probe continues

A Swede, arrested as he attempted to board a London-bound Ryanair flight with a gun in his hand luggage, is to remain in custody while prosecutors investigate charges he planned to hijack the airliner.

A judge yesterday ordered Kerim Sadok Chatty detained on preliminary charges of planning to hijack a plane and illegal possession of a weapon. He said prosecutors must bring formal charges by September 16.

Wearing a grey T-shirt, shorts and sandals, Chatty spoke only to confirm his presence in the court before his lawyer addressed the judge.

Judge Thomas Wallin then closed the 90 minute hearing in Vaesteraas – which was held amid tight security – to the public on the prosecution’s request before allowing reporters back in to hear his decision.

The prosecutor had earlier requested charges of planning to hijack or sabotage a plane or an airport and a secondary charge of weapons possession, but the judge determined there was only enough evidence to detain the suspect on the two counts, said defence lawyer Nils Uggla.

He said his client felt bad about the decision, but “his hope is that this will resolve itself”.

Mr Uggla has strongly rejected any association with terrorism or plans to crash the plane and said that Chatty – a Muslim convert whose mother is Swedish and father is Tunisian – can explain why he had the gun in his bag. But, he said, he could not elaborate because of a gagging order.

Police insisted their case against the 29-year-old had become stronger since his arrest last Thursday. A small calibre pistol was found in Chatty’s toiletries bag in a routine check as he boarded a cut price Ryanair flight to London to attend an Islamic conference in Birmingham.

“The suspicions have been strengthened during the course of the investigation,” said police spokesman Ulf Palm, without elaborating.

Prosecutor Thomas Haeggstroem said Chatty has confessed to possessing a weapon and the investigation “now aims at finding the reason he had it with him”.

He said the national security police agency known as SAPO was taking over the investigation from the local authorities in Vaesteraas although he would remain as prosecutor.

The case has heightened fears of the possibility of a wider terrorist plot because of the proximity to the anniversary of September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Investigators have said they are in contact with foreign authorities and are looking for links between Chatty and terror groups, along with other lines of investigation.

Mr Haeggstroem said the motive was still being investigated and he indicated he might file for an extension in two weeks.

“I have no evidence concerning crashing the aircraft,” he said.

Mr Haeggstroem argued that Chatty should remain in custody because there is a risk he could escape or destroy evidence and complicate the investigation. The suspect, who has previous assault and theft convictions, also could continue his criminal activities, Haeggstroem said.

Chatty, who faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the hijacking charge, was to be moved to a prison in Stockholm, but authorities would not say when.

On Saturday, FBI officials visited a South Carolina flying school that Chatty briefly attended, said the school’s director, Robert Sunday. Chatty was accepted into the school in Conway in September 1996 but flunked out a few months later, Mr Sunday said.

At least three of the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks attended or visited flight schools in the US.