The 33-year-old woman allegedly threatened to blow up the 19-seat plane and stabbed two pilots.
Photo:Reuters
Posted on 02/07/2008 11:13:40 PM PST by Fred Nerks
The 33-year-old woman allegedly threatened to blow up the 19-seat plane and stabbed two pilots.
Police say a Somali woman charged with trying to hijack an Air New Zealand flight this morning wanted the plane taken to Australia.
The 33-year-old allegedly threatened to blow up the 19-seat plane and stabbed two pilots in the cockpit - one in the hand and the other in the foot.
Police say she claimed two bombs were on the twin-engine Jetstream aircraft, which was travelling from the South Island town of Blenheim, but none have been found.
The woman was to appear in court on Saturday to face charges of hijacking and wounding with intent. Hijacking carries a maximum sentence in New Zealand of life imprisonment.
The woman, who lives in Blenheim, and another passenger received minor cuts and were treated at the airport.
Seven people were on the plane, including a Victorian man.
Superintendent Dave Cliff says the woman was tampering with the aircraft's controls while the pilots were trying to land.
"The aircraft landing was somewhat rough because of weather conditions here at Christchurch Airport," he said. "She ended up falling away from the controls and remained away during the actual landing."
"During the flight, demands were allegedly made by the suspect to take the flight to Australia," Superintendent Dave Cliff said.
Superintendent Cliff has praised the pilots for landing the plane safely in an intense and difficult situation.
Witnesses have told TVNZ that police and dog teams pulled the woman off the plane, while she was kicking and screaming, and tackled her to the ground on the tarmac.
They say the passengers then ran off the plane.
"People scurried to get off the plane," a male witness said.
"They were immediately told to hit the ground. The cops had their guns drawn and then they brought dogs out. The dogs went onto the plane."
Police say they found a knife on the tarmac near the aircraft and another on the woman.
Flights to and from Christchurch were suspended for two hours and the domestic terminal was evacuated while the plane was searched.
The pilots were taken to Christchurch Hospital. One has undergone successful surgery to his hand, while the other has been released.
Air New Zealand is reviewing its security systems after the incident.
It is believed there was no barrier in the plane to separate passengers from the cockpit.
Passengers taking domestic flights out of Blenheim airport are not subject to security checks, and hand luggage is not scanned.
The 33-year-old woman allegedly threatened to blow up the 19-seat plane and stabbed two pilots.
Photo:Reuters
Somalia
no connection to Islam there. Conveniently left out of the article.
Looks like she was trying to smuggle fat into Australia.
Kangaroo Akbar?
Wonder what type of special skill does she has aside from stabbing plane crews and eating too much marsmallows?
Yet — the Western societies CONTINUE to permit the immigration of these miscreants from the Turd World —— most especially the black Muslims from Africa...
Our Western civilizations are committing suicide...
Sexually repressed, no doubt.
Wallaby hornswaggled! She’ll roo the day she took a stab at steeling a plane!
What’ll they call the movie?
“Jumping Jack Knife Flasher”?
“Blade IV: The High jacking”
I’ll have Samoa this, and Somali that, none of those, thank you.
stabbed two pilots in the cockpit
That really, REALLY had to hurt.
Sexually repressed, no doubt.
Not necessarily 
That is a low blow. Shame! LOL
Maybe the reason lies here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966901/posts
“Kiwis have most suicidal thoughts (New Zealand: world’s most suicidal nation)”
stop it, you’re killin’ me...
ROTFLMBO!
I’ve heard lots of folks want out of New Zealand, but this is ridiculous!
btw, we do have Somali ‘immigrants’ in Oz, very controversial subject.
Evidently, NZ does. They didn't want her so she hijacked a plane to get to Australia where they put immigrants on their own little island, no?
yitbos
Peanuts? She was ‘nuts’ enough already. (I’m inclined to think that might be the way they travel in Somalia.)
In Australia the ‘welfare people’ have to take them shopping, show them how to cook a meal, how to use an oven, how to catch a train etc...get the picture?
"Nothin' out there but sheep, mate. Sheep, sheep, everywhere sheep."
"So lonely... gotta find a broad!"
Seems to me that she's just achieved her primary goal - no way now that she'll be sent back to her homeland. She'll be living in relative luxury in a NZ prison compared to what she's probably used to.
Kangaroo Akbar?
ROTFLMAO
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