Co-pilot hijacks Ethiopian Airlines plane

A co-pilot on an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Rome hijacked the airliner early Monday morning and flew it to Geneva, Switzerland, looking for asylum.

The man, an Ethiopian in his early 30s, was arrested when the plane landed at Geneva International Airport, police said. The 202 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 767-300 were not harmed.

Authorities said the situation was under control and no passengers or crew had been injured.

Flight ET 702 had been diverted from its original destination of Rome. The airline earlier said the flight from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa had been “forced to proceed” to Geneva.

The co-pilot took control of the plane when the pilot went to the restroom, said Swiss police spokesman Jean-Philippe Brandt.

Eventually, the plane landed at Geneva International Airport.
"I will be coming out via the window," the co-pilot told the control tower.
He then escaped through the cockpit window using a rope, and surrendered to police, Brandt said. He was unarmed, authorities said.